SCOTLAND

Departmental Training

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what personal training courses at public expense he has undertaken since his appointment.

Jim Murphy: None.

TRANSPORT

A12: Essex

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road accidents there were on the A12 in Essex in each of the last 10 years; and how many of these accidents resulted in  (a) death and  (b) serious injury.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The numbers of reported personal injury road accidents on the A12 in Essex and the number of these accidents resulting in  (a) death and  (b) serious injury are shown in the table, for each year from 1998 to 2007.
	
		
			   All injury accidents  Fatal accidents( 1)  Serious accidents( 1) 
			 1998 181 6 26 
			 1999 198 8 25 
			 2000 200 5 32 
			 2001 239 6 41 
			 2002 231 4 45 
			 2003 199 4 36 
			 2004 225 4 54 
			 2005 221 6 44 
			 2006 169 5 36 
			 2007 181 4 23 
			 (1) Accidents are classified according to the severity of the most severely injured casualty; some fatal accidents will also have seriously injured casualties.

Aircraft: Oxygen

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on airline companies' obligations with regard to allowing people with a lung condition to  (a) access oxygen provided,  (b) take their own (i) portable oxygen cylinders and (ii) portable oxygen concentrator on board flights; and what guidance he has issued on this matter.

Jim Fitzpatrick: European Regulation 1107/2006 on the rights of disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility when travelling by air, came fully into force in July 2008. It imposes a number of obligations on airlines with respect to the services they provide, including an obligation to carry passengers' medical equipment free of charge. However, there are no specific obligations to carry or provide oxygen in the cabin.
	To help the air transport industry to comply with its obligations under the regulation, the Department for Transport has published an updated version of its code of practice 'Access to Air Travel for Disabled Persons and Persons with Reduced Mobility'. The code includes a section on oxygen which advises that air carriers may approve the carriage of gaseous (not liquid) oxygen or air cylinders required for medical use, but notes that carriers will wish to ensure that these do not pose a risk to security. The code also recommends that portable oxygen concentrator devices should normally be allowed if battery powered. Where air carriers wish to supply medical oxygen to passengers on request, the code acknowledges that it would be possible to make a charge for this service to cover the provision of the oxygen.

Blue Badge Scheme

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent steps the Government has taken to reduce abuse of blue badges for disabled parking.

Paul Clark: In October 2007 we introduced legislation to change the design of the badge to include an anti-fraud hologram and a new serial number to help prevent fraud and aid enforcement.
	In January 2008 we revised local authority guidance to improve administrative consistency and enforcement and launched a £0.5 million local authorities centres of excellence fund, designed to promote good practice in administering and enforcing the scheme.
	In March 2008 we began a pilot experiment of new tamper proof laminates designed to further enhance badge security.
	Most recently, on 20 October 2008, the Department for Transport published a Comprehensive Blue Badge (Disabled Parking) Reform Strategy. This strategy contains a number of commitments to fight fraud and abuse of the Blue Badge Scheme.

Departmental Staff

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many employment agency staff work in each of his Department's bargaining units on a  (a) headcount and  (b) full-time equivalent basis.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 30 October 2008
	The central Department and its agencies had a headcount  (a) of 523 agency staff, as at end of September 2008. This figure excludes the Government Car and Despatch Agency.
	
		
			  Department for Transport  Headcount of staff 
			 DfT (Central) 97 
			 Driving Standards Agency 119 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency 22 
			 Highways Agency 164 
			 Maritime and Coastguard Agency 35 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency 1 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency 85 
			 Total 523 
		
	
	An accurate full-time equivalent  (b) figure could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Driving: Safety

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what research his Department is undertaking into the effects of fatigue on drivers;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the effects of  (a) fatigue and  (b) obstructive sleep apnoea on drivers.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department is conducting research on the potential use of fatigue risk management systems with the object of developing guidance for their use by those who employ drivers. The research is expected to be completed in the first half of 2009. Early indications from the project suggest that such systems offer considerable potential as a more effective method of managing fatigue than compliance with hours of work limits alone. They encourage employers to identify fatigue-related risk factors within their business and to consider the full range of potential contributors to fatigue, both work-related (e.g. work practices, shift patterns) and individual (e.g. lifestyle, medical conditions).
	At the European level, our researchers were most recently involved with the IMMORTAL project (Impaired Motorists, Methods of Roadside Testing and Assessment for Licensing). This project, which concluded in 2005, included a workshop on Fatigue (Fatigue, Sleepiness and Reduced Alertness as Risk Factors in Driving) with a particular focus on obstructive sleep apnoea and other sleep disorders. A departmental research manager was a co-author of the report arising from this workshop. That is online at:
	www.toi.no/getfile.php/Publikasjoner/T%D81%20rapporter/2004/739-2004/739-2004-2.pdf.
	There have been no more recent discussions with European counterparts.

Heathrow Airport

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether there are plans for National Air Traffic Services to undertake additional public consultation before any introduction of  (a) mixed-mode and  (b) a third runway at Heathrow airport; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what procedures would be followed if BAA sought permission to introduce mixed-mode  (a) within the 480,000 cap and  (b) exceeding the 480,000 cap.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 3 November 2008
	The "Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport" consultation closed on 27 February and we expect to announce a decision on the future development of Heathrow by the end of the year.
	If mixed-mode operations are supported (either within the current movements cap or with additional movements), it would be for the airport operator to bring forward plans and obtain the necessary planning approvals. It would also be the responsibility of the airport operator and National Air Traffic Services to further assess the indicative airspace and air traffic control arrangements presented in the consultation to meet the statutory requirements of the Civil Aviation Authority. This could include further consultation, where appropriate, in accordance with the CAA's Airspace Change Process.

London Airports: Smoking

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times evacuations of  (a) the concourses,  (b) the security and passports areas and  (c) the airside areas of (i) Heathrow, (ii) Gatwick and (iii) Stansted airports have occurred following an alarm being triggered by a passenger smoking in a toilet in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We have been advised by BAA that it is unable to provide detailed information on how many evacuations have been carried out over the last 12 months due to a fire alarm being triggered without detailed analysis. As this is an operational matter for BAA, I suggest the hon. Member directs his inquiry to the chief executive of BAA.

Network Rail: Standards

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 29 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1040W, on Network Rail: standards, what improvement notices have been served on Network Rail by the Office of the Rail Regulator in the last 12 months.

Paul Clark: The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has served a total of 19 improvement notices on Network Rail in the last 12 months. Details of 18 of these notices have been entered on the public register. They can be found on ORR's website at:
	http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/.
	One notice, served on Network Rail in June 2008, relating to the joint between non-adjustable stretcher bar brackets and switch rails, has been appealed by Network Rail and therefore has not been entered onto the public register.

Piracy: Gulf of Aden

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to counter the incidence of piracy on the high seas, with particular reference to the Gulf of Aden;
	(2)  how many British seafarers are being held hostage as a consequence of piracy incidents on the high seas; and what steps he is taking to secure their release.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport is not aware of any British seafarers being held hostage as a consequence of piracy incidents. The Government are acutely aware of the dangers being faced by seafarers on board ships transiting the Gulf of Aden and abhor the loss of life incurred to date.
	The UK is supportive of the IMO's efforts which calls for states interested in the safety and security of maritime activities to take part actively in the fight against piracy and armed robbery against ships off the coast of Somalia.
	The Department has issued advice to seafarers on the measures that can be taken to prevent acts of piracy and armed robbery in Marine Guidance Note 298. We have also urged Masters to obtain up to date information about pirate attacks in order to plan their passage through the Gulf of Aden. This advice can be obtained from the Royal Navy's UK Maritime Trade Operation based in Dubai. The shipping industry has also been informed of the Maritime Security Patrol Area (MPSA) established by the Combined Maritime Forces. The MPSA does not eliminate the risk of criminal activity and shipping has been warned to exercise extreme caution and vigilance.
	Piracy is an international problem that requires an international solution. The Government are playing their full part by pressing for effective international action to address the issue by tackling the problem at its roots on land. The Government are very concerned by increasing numbers of piracy and armed robbery attacks in and around Somali waters and we have noted the expressed concerns from industry. We are working proactively with our EU, NATO and Coalition Task Force 150 partners to counter the menace.

Railways: Crime Prevention

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what recent steps the Government has taken to reduce the level of crime on railways;
	(2)  what recent steps the Government has taken to improve police resources to prevent crime committed on railways.

Paul Clark: The total number of offences reported to the British Transport Police (BTP) reduced by 12 per cent. between 2006-07 and 2007-08 and crime remains low relative to the over one billion passenger journeys made each year. We nevertheless continue to work closely with the industry and the police to secure further improvements. Last year, the budget for the British Transport Police (BTP) increased by 5 per cent. and, at £271 million, is at more than twice the level it was six years ago. BTP numbers at London Underground and mainline stations have increased too and there are now 2,813 officers and 262 community support officers in the force.

Railways: Freight

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made towards the target of increasing rail freight by 80 per cent. by 2010 as stated in his Department's Transport Ten Year Plan of 2000; what the baseline year is against which this target is being measured; and how much rail freight there was in each year since 2000.

Paul Clark: The potential rail freight growth figure of up to 80 per cent. quoted in the Department for Transport's 10 year plan of 2000 was not a target. It was always recognised that actual growth would depend on a number of factors—in particular, the success of private sector rail freight operators in delivering improvements in performance and efficiency.
	Detailed rail freight statistics covering the years from 2000 to 2008 are published in the Office for Rail Regulation's Rail Trends document on its website:
	www.rail-reg.gov.uk
	and by the Department for Transport in its Transport Statistics for Great Britain document on its website:
	www.dft.gov.uk.
	Since 2000-01 the amount of rail freight moved has increased by 17 per cent. In the last 18 months the Government have announced record levels of rail freight investment to support continued growth including £200 million towards the development of a strategic freight network and over £150 million of funding towards the provision of infrastructure enhancement for freight through the Productivity Transport Innovation Fund.

Railways: Safety

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what recent steps the Government has taken to publicise the dangers of playing on or near railway tracks to young people;
	(2)  what recent steps the Government has taken to prevent children from playing on or near railway tracks.

Paul Clark: Network Rail's 'No Messin'!' campaign seeks to reduce crime and trespass on the railway by young people. It has been developed to appeal to them by using a style and language they will understand. Network Rail's initiative is reinforced by campaigns run by train operators to educate children in schools about the dangers of trespassing on the railway.
	These measures are further supported by the British Transport Police who work with the industry to reduce incidents of crime and trespass.

Rapid Transit Systems

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made towards the target of creating 25 new rapid transit lines in major cities and conurbations by 2010 as stated in his Department's Transport 10 Year Plan of 2000; how many new rapid transit lines were created in each year since 2000; and by what percentage light rail passenger journeys have increased since 2000.

Paul Clark: The Ten Year Plan published in July 2000 set out indicative figures for the number of light rail schemes that might be delivered by 2010. This was neither a target nor a commitment for the Government.
	The following light rail lines have been opened since 2000:
	
		
			   Name of scheme  Number of new lines 
			 2000 Croydon Tramlink 3 
			 2000 Manchester Metrolink -Eccles extension 1 
			 2002 Tyne and Wear Metro -Sunderland extension 1 
			 2004 Nottingham Express Transit 1 
			 2005 Docklands Light Railway - London City Airport extension 1 
		
	
	The following schemes are in preparation;
	
		
			  Name of scheme  Stage reached  Number of new lines 
			 Docklands Light Railway -Extension to Woolwich Arsenal Under construction, due to be completed in 2009. 1 
			 Manchester Metrolink -Extensions to Rochdale, Oldham, Chorlton and Droylsden Under construction, project due to be completed in 2012. 4 
			 Nottingham Express Transit -Extensions to Clifton and Chilwell Granted Programme Entry. If Full Approval is granted the lines could be completed by 2013. 2 
			 Manchester Metrolink -Extensions to Ashton, East Didbsury and Manchester Airport Granted Programme Entry as part of Greater Manchester's Transport Innovation Fund bid. 3 
			 Manchester Metrolink -Extensions to Trafford, Oldham town centre, Rochdale town centre, and Second city crossing scheme Schemes which currently have no approval status that Greater Manchester are also progressing as part of their Transport Innovation Fund bid. 4 
		
	
	Light rail passenger journeys in England increased by 90 per cent. between 1999-2000 and from 98 million to 186 million passenger journeys in 2007-08.

Road Signs and Markings

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has authorised the erection of road signs which indicate metric rather than imperial measurements.

Paul Clark: holding answer 3 November 2008
	 The Department for Transport has not authorised any signs aimed at general road users that display metric measurements only.
	For a traffic sign to be lawful, it must be either prescribed in the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (TSRGD) (2002) or be authorised by the Secretary of State. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the devolved Administrations authorise non-prescribed signs for the roads in their areas.
	TSRGD provides for the use of imperial measurements for distance and speed. Certain prescribed traffic signs may show metric units of measurement together with the corresponding imperial units—such as signs indicating maximum height or width restrictions. However, metric is not permitted as a replacement for imperial on such signs.
	The Department has authorised the use of driver location signs and a limited number of distance marker posts for the trunk road and motorway network. These indicate an established referencing system, which uses metric units, to enable the emergency services to locate the scene of an incident without any confusion.

Road Traffic

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in achieving the target of reducing road congestion below 2000 levels as stated in his Department's Transport Ten Year Plan of 2000; against what baseline this target is being measured; and how much road congestion there was in each year since 2000, broken down by region.

Paul Clark: The Ten Year Plan gave an indicative figure for congestion on inter-urban trunk roads which was formalised in the SR2002 PSA target: to reduce congestion on the inter-urban road network in England below 2000 levels by 2010. However, subsequently the Government set out the case for new congestion performance targets in The Future of Transport White Paper published in July 2004. A new target was set in SR2004.
	The baseline for the SR2004 target was published in February 2006 using new sources of journey time data. Inter-urban journey time reliability performance has since been regularly published against this baseline. The latest provisional data show the current level of performance for the 10 per cent. slowest journeys, which is the PSA measure, to be around the SR2004 baseline level for the year August 2004 to July 2005. This is also the case for all journeys.
	Differences in sources used and in measurement mean that it is not possible to produce a consistent series of data from 2000 and report on trunk road congestion in Ten Year Plan terms. Also, data are not readily available at regional level as the current measure is based on routes which extend outside regional boundaries.

Road Traffic

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in achieving the target of undertaking 80 major trunk road schemes to improve safety and traffic flows at junctions by 2010 as stated in his Department's Transport Ten Year Plan of 2000; and what major trunk road schemes were  (a) started and  (b) completed in each year since 2000.

Paul Clark: The Ten Year Plan published in July 2000 set out a broad package of measures for improving transport. Over the 10 year period individual projects in the Highways Agency's programmes would flow from the outcome of multi-modal studies and decisions taken through regional transport strategies. Although the plan gave an indicative figure for trunk road schemes this is not a target that the Government monitor performance against.
	Two tables have been placed in the Libraries of the House. Table A shows the Highways Agency major trunk road schemes started in each year since 2000 while table B shows schemes opened to traffic in each year since 2000.

Road Traffic: Essex

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Chelmsford on 21 October 2008,  Official Report, column 155, on traffic congestion, which  (a) causes of and  (b) locations prone to road accidents and collisions on the A12 in Essex will be prioritised for road safety improvement funding; and what funding he plans to make available for such improvements in the next three years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Personal injury accidents on the motorway and trunk road network are monitored on a continuous basis by the Highways Agency and reported in its annual safety report. Accidents are reviewed on a route basis, and locations with disproportionately more accidents are prioritised for remedial action.
	With regards to the A12 in Essex, in the period 2008-09 to 2011-12, the Highways Agency is intending to spend up to around £22 million on major maintenance improvements at Kelvedon and Witham and £2.5 million on an auxiliary lane southbound between Hatfield Peverel and Witham. All of these significant interventions will have some beneficial impact on safety, and other minor safety works are also planned. This work will be subject to availability of funding and prioritisation against other works on the strategic road network within the Eastern region.

Roads: Accidents

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward legislative proposals to include cats within the provision of section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 3 November 2008
	There are no legislative proposals to include cats within the provision of section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 which requires a driver to report accidents involving animals such as horses, cattle, asses, mules, sheep, pigs, goats and dogs. This requirement arises from their status as working animals.
	There is no obligation to report all animal deaths on roads. The police advise drivers that, if possible, they should make inquiries to ascertain the owner of the cat and advise them of the situation.

Rolling Stock

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the percentage change in active rolling stock has been since 1997.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport does not keep the detailed information required. However, we know that in May 1995, the number of vehicles on lease was 10,401 and, as of today, the number on lease on the rail network is around 11,150, an increase of approximately 7.2 per cent. It should also be noted that a further 1,300 vehicles will be delivered as part of high level output specification (HLOS), of which 423 have already been ordered.

Transport: Expenditure

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much  (a) public investment,  (b) private capital investment and  (c) public resource expenditure was spent on (i) rail, (ii) strategic roads, (iii) London transport, (iv) local transport and (v) other transport in each year since 2000, in (A) nominal and (B) real terms.

Geoff Hoon: The following table shows the public investment (capital) and public resource spending within the Department for Transport's departmental expenditure limit (DEL) on rail, strategic roads, London, local transport and other transport for each year since 2002-03. (Owing to classification, accounting and boundary changes comparable figures for earlier years are not available.)
	
		
			  £ million (nominal) 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			  Public investment (capital)   
			 Rail 963 3,143 2,825 2,600 3,596 3,496 
			 Strategic Roads 736 439 610 753 1,116 1,056 
			 London 772 — — — — — 
			 Local and regional transport 1,515 1,532 1,710 1,559 1,659 2,364 
			 Other transport 139 119 77 83 132 135 
			
			  Public resource expenditure   
			 Rail 289 1,111 1,444 1,219 1,322 1,163 
			 Strategic Roads 1,339 1,518 1,418 1,576 1,752 1,787 
			 London 1,025 2,550 2,261 2,182 2,641 2,400 
			 Local and regional transport 339 385 407 431 542 659 
			 Other transport 475 545 545. 659 665 791 
		
	
	These figures do not include capital spending by local authorities funded through prudential borrowing, nor revenue spending by local authorities funded through general grant (paid by CLG) and council tax.
	Data providing a comprehensive statement of private capital investment in these areas are not available.
	The following table sets out the DEL spending shown above, expressed in real terms with a 2007-08 price base.
	
		
			  £ million (2007-08 prices) 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			  Public investment (capital)   
			 Rail 1,101 3,487 3,051 2,752 3,706 3,496 
			 Strategic Roads 841 487 659 797 1,150 1,056 
			 London 883 — — — — — 
			 Local and regional transport 1,732 1,700 1,847 1,650 1,710 2,364 
			 Other transport 158 132 83 88 136 135 
			
			  Public resource expenditure   
			 Rail 330 1,232 1,560 1,290 1,362 1,163 
			 Strategic Roads 1,531 1,684 1,532 1,668 1,805 1,787 
			 London 1,172 2,829 2,442 2,309 2,721 2,400 
			 Local and regional transport 388 427 439 457 558 659 
			 Other transport 543 605 589 698 685 791

Transport: Regulatory Impact Assessments

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library copies of all regulatory impact assessments for  (a) road projects and  (b) other major transport infrastructure projects conducted since 1997.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport does not undertake regulatory impact assessments for road or other transport infrastructure projects as they are not regulatory in nature. Infrastructure projects are assessed in line with the new approach to appraisal (NATA) guidance.

Transport: Tyne and Wear

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what payments his Department has made to local authorities in Tyne and Wear for a pilot study under the Transport Innovation Fund; and what plans he has for the future funding of People in Motion.

Paul Clark: Tyne and Wear authorities have received a total of £1.7 million pump priming funding from the Department for Transport's Transport Innovation Fund. This funding was provided to support the development of Transport Innovation Fund packages that address local congestion problems combining demand management, including road pricing, with better public transport. We are awaiting the outcome of the work that has been carried out by Tyne and Wear's People in Motion partnership.

Vehicle Number Plates

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to amend the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 to permit the voluntary display of the Union Flag or other national identifiers.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 3 November 2008
	 We have announced our intention to allow the voluntary display of national flags on vehicle number plates in England, Scotland and Wales. We are looking at how this can be brought forward as soon as possible.

Vehicle Number Plates

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that drivers may legally display the  (a) Union Flag,  (b) flag of Saint Andrew and  (c) flag of Saint George on car registration plates.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 3 November 2008
	 We have announced our intention to allow the voluntary display of national flags on vehicle number plates in England, Scotland and Wales. We are looking at how this can be brought forward as soon as possible.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Better Government for Older People

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the sources of funding are of the Better Government for Older People initiative.

Rosie Winterton: The information is in the following list..
	 Better Government for Older People Antici pated Sources of Funding 2008- 09
	Department for Work and Pensions grant in aid
	Anchor Trust grant
	Local Authorities subscriptions
	Primary Care Trust subscriptions
	Fire and Rescue organisation subscriptions
	Police Associations subscriptions
	Local Strategic Partnerships subscriptions
	Recoverable VAT
	Bank Interest

Community Allowance

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with the Department for Communities and Local Government on the community allowance pilots.

Tony McNulty: We jointly announced with the Department for Communities and Local Government in Communities in Control: real people, real power (CM7427) that the CREATE Consortium could pilot the community allowance within the existing benefits and permitted work structure. This was part of ongoing discussions with the Department for Communities and Local Government to explore how to promote paid community work for out of work benefit claimants to improve their chances of moving into work and benefit the community in which they live.

Community Allowance

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will introduce a community allowance as part of the new employment and support allowance regime.

Tony McNulty: We have always made clear that the CREATE consortium will be able to pilot the community allowance within the existing benefits and permitted work structure. We would want to see a full evaluation of the allowance and the impact on improving benefit claimants' chances of moving into work before we considered whether to introduce it more widely.

Compensation: Vaccination

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) have been made by people claiming damage by hepatitis A or hepatitis B vaccines; for what reasons unsuccessful claimants for payment in respect of these vaccines have been informed that if they wish to appeal they must do so within six years; and for what reason hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccines are not included in the VDPS.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Vaccine Damage Payments scheme only covers vaccines that are recommended as part of the routine childhood immunisation programme. The scheme does not cover hepatitis A or hepatitis B vaccines because they are not currently included in the childhood immunisation programme.
	The Department does not collect information about the number of claims made by people claiming damage from hepatitis A or hepatitis B vaccines as this information is not required for the administration of the scheme.
	People who make a vaccine damage payment claim in relation to vaccines not covered by the scheme are still given the right to appeal decisions they may disagree with. This practice helps ensure that customers have another opportunity to provide further information in support of their claim.

Council Tax Benefit

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households were in receipt of council tax benefit in each year since 1985; and how much was spent on council tax benefit in each of those years.

Kitty Ussher: Information on council tax benefit is available only from 1993-94 when it was introduced. The available information is in the following tables:
	
		
			  Council tax benefit expenditure and recipients, Great Britain 
			   Expenditure (£ million)  Caseload (Thousand) 
			 1993-94 1,940 5,450 
			 1994-95 2,077 5,615 
			 1995-96 2,189 5,690 
			 1996-97 2,311 5,618 
			 1997-98 2,395 5,479 
			 1998-99 2,452 5,306 
			 1999-2000 2,511 5,051 
			 2000-01 2,575 4,761 
			 2001-02 2,686 4,664 
			 2002-03 2,834 4,625 
			 2003-04 3,223 4,693 
			 2004-05 3,557 4,915 
			 2005-06 3,774 5,029 
			 2006-07 3,944 5,080 
			 2007-08 4,023 5,089 
			  Notes:  1. The expenditure figures presented here reflect nominal costs for the whole of Great Britain.  2. They are total amounts paid to beneficiaries, irrespective of the source of funding, and include benefit spending reimbursed by DWP, and benefit spending financed from local authorities' general funds.  3. They reflect the latest benefit-by-benefit estimate of outturn, and not the amounts voted by Parliament.  4. Figures for 2006-07 and 2007-08 are estimated outturn and may change slightly once subsidy returns from all local authorities are audited.  5. Council tax benefit was introduced in April 1993.   Source:  Published expenditure tables to 2006-07, and estimated outturn for 2007-08.

Council Tax Benefits: Greater London

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people he estimates were  (a) eligible for and  (b) in receipt of council tax benefits in (i) London, (ii) the London Borough of Hillingdon and (iii) Uxbridge constituency in each year since 1997 for which figures are available.

Kitty Ussher: Estimates of the numbers eligible for council tax benefit are not available below the level of Great Britain. It is, therefore, not possible to provide estimates of the numbers entitled in London, the London borough of Hillingdon, and the constituency of Uxbridge.
	The available information on recipients of council tax benefit for London and the London borough of Hillingdon is in the following table. Information is not available broken down by parliamentary constituency.
	
		
			  Number of council tax benefit recipients in London and the London borough of Hillingdon: as at May each year 
			   London  Hillingdon 
			 1997 759,720 17,660 
			 1998 728,260 17,520 
			 1999 692,540 17,350 
			 2000 628,650 16,980 
			 2001 607,160 16,360 
			 2002 615,320 16,090 
			 2003 633,530 15,810 
			 2004 672,070 17,360 
			 2005 708,440 17,890 
			 2006 717,610 18,140 
			 2007 724,440 18,200 
			  Notes: 1. Recipients refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Figures for any non-responding authorities have been estimated. 4. Council tax benefit totals exclude any second adult rebate cases.  Source: Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. caseload stock-count taken in May 1997 to May 2007

Departmental Health and Safety

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent steps the Government has taken to improve health and safety regulation.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 6 October 2008
	The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is committed to better, smarter health and safety legislation. In December 2007 it published its second Simplification Plan(1), which set out how it was reducing the administrative burden of health and safety regulation on businesses and making compliance easier, in particular for low risk, small and medium sized enterprises.
	Among the regulatory improvements detailed in the plan was the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007, which consolidated four sets of regulations, and improved the process for proving competency.
	HSE is also improving guidance on regulations to help businesses understand and comply. For example, it has produced 29 example risk assessments for different sectors, showing businesses that a risk assessment does not need to be complicated.
	Finally, the Better Regulation Executive has carried out a review of the health and safety regulatory regime, particularly for lower risk small businesses(2). This has made several recommendations for improvement. Of those addressed to HSE, some are already being addressed through HSE's simplification work. Others will be considered through the development and subsequent implementation of HSE's new strategy.

Departmental Liability

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what dates in each of the last five years his Department informed the House of the creation of contingent liabilities relating to his Department or its non-departmental public bodies.

Tony McNulty: Details of contingent liabilities are contained in the departmental resource accounts each year. The dates on which these accounts were laid in the House over last five years were:
	2007-08: 21 July 2008
	2006-07: 24 July 2007
	2005-06: 7 November 2006
	2004-05: 26 January 2006
	2003-04: 18 January 2005

Departmental Pensions

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many civil servants working in his Department and its agencies have pensions with a cash equivalent transfer value of over £1 million.

Jonathan R Shaw: It is not appropriate to disclose pension information for civil servants other than board members whose details are shown in the Remuneration Report in annual Resource Accounts. A copy of the Resource Accounts for the Department for Work and Pensions and its agencies for financial year 2007-08 can be found in the Library or accessed electronically using the following links:
	 Department for Work and Pensions Resource Accounts 2007-08 (pages 34 to 38 refer)
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/dwp/2008/res_acc/report_2007_08.pdf
	 Jobcentre Plus Annual Report and Accounts 2007-08 (pages 22 to 25 refer)
	http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/stellent/groups/jcp/documents/websitecontent/dev_015683.pdf
	 Child Support Agency Annual Report and Accounts 2007-08 (pages 30 to 32 refer)
	http://www.csa.gov.uk/en/PDF/reports/annual_report_08.pdf
	 The Pension Service Annual Report and Accounts 2006-07 (pages 52 to 55 refer)
	http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/pdf/annualreport/appendices.pdf
	 Disability and Carers Service Annual Report and Accounts 2006-07 (pages 47 to 49 refer)
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/dwp/2007/dcs/dcs-ar-06-07.pdf

Departmental Responsibilities

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what work programme has been put in place for his Department's strategy team; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Strategy Unit carries out a range of projects to underpin the strategic objectives of the Department.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which companies were used by his Department for providing temporary staff in each of the last five years; and what the value of contracts with each such company was in each of those years.

Jonathan R Shaw: A list of companies and organisations that provided temporary staff to the Department for the last three years 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 and the expenditure with each company and organisation during those years is provided in the following table. Information for the two previous years 2003-04 and 2004-05 is not available.
	The expenditure provided for "temporary staff" includes both clerical and administrative personnel, and other interim, specialist and professional personnel including interim managers (this primarily covers the specialist areas of IT, finance, project and programme management, HR, procurement and communications). It is not possible to provide separate details of expenditure on the different categories of temporary and professional and technical staff.
	
		
			  DWF expenditure on "temporary staff"—2005-06 to 2007-08 
			  £ 
			  Supplier  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Parity 5,835,909.74 7,407,152.90 5,455,978.00 
			 Hays 3,845,970.36 7,309,387.40 4,585,773.86 
			 LA International 1,951,194.77 3,714,763.77 4,073,159.71 
			 X Net Ltd. 2,195,562.45 3,361,228.16 2,803,781.70 
			 Computer People 3,442,057.48 2,624,283.46 1,891,034.15 
			 Xansa 3,132,669.48 2,931,074.54 1,431,417.61 
			 Nesco 1,967,357.38 3,225,360.71 1,927,190.14 
			 Methods Consulting Ltd. — 4,214,785.12 2,272,514.72 
			 Amtec Consulting 743,534.51 2,304,845.06 2,245,626.32 
			 Michael Page International 1,447,584.06 2,027,746.26 1,514,802.25 
			 Capgemini UK plc — 1,923,327.28 1,522,575.55 
			 Rullion Computer Personnel 553,566.42 1,377,848.84 896,668.95 
			 Hedra 1,541,395.28 1,051,045.39 162,259.12 
			 Elan 1,043,303.76 851,637.66 508,100.98 
			 Badenoch and Clark 905,931.15 758,639.47 416,761.22 
			 Manpower plc 1,494,999.96 365,753.47 84,532.67 
			 Office Angels 642,921.02 610,019.71 310,066.59 
			 Stopgap Ltd. 610,122.77 232,514.83 449,284.72 
			 PPM Excellence Ltd. — 465,607.87 643,151.75 
			 Reed in Partnership 135,642.43 539,992.46 432,490.39 
			 Servicetec Ltd. 468,451.01 245,214.58 378,440.21 
			 Recruit Media Ltd. 267,210.38 264,316.21 236,759.49 
			 Hudson Global Resources 406,056.48 154,820.92 120,905.05 
			 Adecco UK Ltd. 254,760.19 218,955.86 30,755.96 
			 Impact Executives 209,720.48 158,669.42 30,315.03 
			 Acorn Recruitment Ltd. 153,757.90 242,842.57 — 
			 Northern Recruitment Group 125,977.41 103,049.59 150,372.15 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers — 342,884.21 29,046.01 
			 Randstad Employment Bureau 165,970.59 154,749.84 — 
			 Venn Group Ltd. 6,103.00 104,443.78 136,161.76 
			 TFPL Ltd. — 148,701.15 91,260.08 
			 Brook Street plc 132,500.77 — 76,493.23 
			 City Centre Recruitment 116,676.53 82,681.68 691.84 
			 Purcon Ltd. — — 165,372.95 
			 Mercer Human Resource Consulting 126,347.75 34,932.34 — 
			 Pertemps 63,429.94 65,194.89 — 
			 Penna — 115,198.00 1,770.00 
			 Jobwise Group plc 21,421.66 95,325.00 — 
			 Hudson — 97,641.08 1,205.20 
			 Party Resources Ltd. — 84,559.10 11,464.56 
			 Capita Business Services Ltd. — 40,887.00 50,049.31 
			 Xchangeteam Ltd. 21,261.51 39,080.24 27,636.00 
			 Hewitt Bacon and Woodrow Ltd. 56,302.27 13,080.47 16,131.21 
			 Datasky — 77,210.00 — 
			 Venn Group Recruitment 75,636.14 — — 
			 Norman Broadbent Co. 75,172.98 — — 
			 Hudson York Farrell 71,441.24 — — 
			 Central Office of Information — 58,054.91 — 
			 Premiere Employment Group 23,104.11 21,570.10 1,192.67 
			 SAS Software Ltd. — — 36,184.13 
			 Job Channel Ltd. 25,990.00 — — 
			 At Work Recruitment 16,961.77 7,734.00 — 
			 Bluestone — — 15,880.58 
			 Fylde Office Service 14,342.87 — — 
			 Forrest Recruitment 12,153.25 — — 
			 Stimulation Ltd. — 12,068.78 — 
			 Serco Ltd. — — 10,650.49 
			 Kelly Services 8,478.77 1,619.26 — 
			 Forrest and Co. 9,787.23 — — 
			 Alexander Lloyd 9,400.00 — — 
			 Hay Group — 4,507.00 1,280.00 
			 Ellingham Employment Services — — 5,156.49 
			 Venn Group Recruitment Solutions 4,935.00 — — 
			 Serco Solutions 4,206,00 — — 
			 TFPL Ltd. (EC1M) — 3,956.00 — 
			 GCS Recruitment Specialists — 3,928.00 — 
			 Speech to Text Reporting 3,806.60 — — 
			 Office Personnel 3,524.50 — — 
			 Law Absolute — — 2,825.43 
			 Atos Origin — 2,348.00 — 
			 Bravo Solution — 2,341.78 — 
			 Westminster Accord 2,096.09 — — 
			 Rosemary Nichols Consulting — 1,323.80 645.20 
			 PA Consulting Services Ltd. — 1,347.37 — 
			 KMC International 1,045.65 — — 
			 Merrill Legal Solutions — — 1,036.34 
			 Impact Recruitment — — 300.00 
			 Baileys Recruitment Agency 236.57 — — 
			 Aims Recruitment — 120.00 —

Disability Living Allowance

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what training and guidance his Department gives on length of awards to staff making decisions on the award of disability living allowance and attendance allowance; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what guidance his Department has issued to those staff taking decisions on awarding disability allowance on the duration of the award.

Jonathan R Shaw: All claims for disability living allowance (DLA) and attendance allowance (AA) are decided by decision makers who are required to make decisions fairly and impartially based on the application of the law to the facts of the individual case.
	Decision makers' training covers all available legal, medical and procedural guidance that pertains to periods of award, to enable them to determine what period of award is appropriate.
	The Department provides decision makers with guidance on deciding the duration of awards within the Decision Makers Guide and the Decision Makers Procedural Guide. In addition, comprehensive up to date medical guidance has been developed and approved by medical experts in their field, for the majority of impairments that give rise to claims for DLA and AA. The guidance for each impairment includes interpretation of clinical information, definitions of clinical technology and guidance on the likely duration of the care and/or mobility needs arising from that impairment.

Disability Living Allowance

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how often recipients of the mobility component of disability living allowance who list as a disability  (a) AIDS,  (b) arthritis,  (c) back problems,  (d) blindness,  (e) chest disease,  (f) deafness,  (g) diabetes,  (h) epilepsy,  (i) frailty,  (j) heart disease,  (k) learning difficulties,  (l) malignant disease,  (m) mental health causes,  (n) multiple sclerosis and  (o) muscle, joint or bone problems have their awards reassessed.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information is not available.
	Once entitlement to disability living allowance is established, the frequency of reassessment varies according to the individual circumstances of the case. For example, a claim may be reassessed if a customer reports a change in their circumstances, or information is received suggesting that there has been a change of circumstances since the original award of benefit was made. In addition, where a fixed period award is nearing its end point, the customer is invited to submit a new claim which is then assessed on the current evidence before a new decision is made on entitlement. Other claims may continue throughout the period of the award without being reassessed.

Disability Living Allowance

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of applications for  (a) disability living allowance and  (b) attendance allowance have been refused in each of the last three years.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 3 November 2008
	The available information is in the following table:
	
		
			  Unsuccessful claims for disability living allowance and attendance allowance 
			  Percentage 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Disability living allowance 53 53 55 
			 Attendance allowance 21 20 18 
			  Notes:  1. Claims received: It is not possible for a claimant to make concurrent multiple claims. A customer can make more than one claim in a year. However, a new claim cannot be made until a decision on the previous claim has been made.  2. Success rates are the number of claims awarded as a percentage of the number of decisions in that year—not a percentage of the number of claims received.   Source:  Management Information Statistics. This information is generated by the disability living allowance/attendance allowance computer system for management purposes. It is not a National Statistic. Management information records and counts events. This means that the number of claims refused are not directly comparable to the number of claims received because a decision to refuse or accept a claim is not necessarily made in the same time period.

Disability Living Allowance: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many residents of Bexleyheath and Crayford receive the  (a) lower and  (b) higher rate of the mobility component of the disability living allowance.

Jonathan R Shaw: The available information is in the following table:
	
		
			  Disability living allowance: Cases in payment by mobility component type, Bexleyheath and Crayford parliamentary constituency, February 2008 
			   Number 
			 Highest rate 1,880 
			 Lowest rate 1,050 
			  Notes:  1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  2. Some additional disclosure control has been applied.  3. Totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital.  4. Figures are published on the DWP website at: www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/tabtool.asp  Source:  DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Employment Service: Manpower

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many staff were employed by the  (a) Employment Service and  (b) Benefits Agency in each year for which records are available, broken down by region;
	(2)  what the average salary was of staff employed by the  (a) Employment Service and  (b) Benefits Agency in each year for which records are available, broken down by region.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Benefits Agency was established on 10 April 1991. The Employment Service was established on 2 April 1990. Both ceased to exist after March 31 2002 when Jobcentre Plus and The Pension Service were launched.
	Historical staffing statistics for each Agency can be found in Civil Service Statistics at:
	www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/statistics.
	A breakdown of the staffing statistics at regional level is not available.
	Information on average salaries would be available only at disproportionate cost.

Employment: Low Incomes

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidelines have been issued to Jobcentre Plus employees in relation to making individuals better off in work calculations; which benefits or funding streams are  (a) included and  (b) excluded from the calculation; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what guidelines have been issued to Jobcentre Plus employees in relation to making individuals better off in work calculations; which benefits or funding streams are (a) included and (b) excluded from the calculation; and if he will make a statement. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	An extensive range of learning is available to equip Personal Advisers to use the Better Off Calculator effectively. Personal Advisers attend a two-day technical event which instructs them on how to use the calculator. Up-to-date learning material and comprehensive technical guidance is also available. The Better Off Calculator has been designed to navigate the user through a series of pre-set screens and this helps to ensure that all relevant information is captured.
	A Better Off Calculation takes into account the following benefits, credits and statutory payments:
	Attendance Allowance
	Bereavement Allowance
	Carer's Allowance
	Child Benefit
	Child Special Allowance
	Child Tax Credit
	Constant Attendance Allowance
	Council Tax Benefit
	Disability Living Allowance
	Exceptionally Severe Disablement Allowance
	Employment and Support Allowance
	Guardian's Allowance
	Housing Benefit
	Incapacity Benefit
	Income Support
	Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
	Jobseeker's Allowance
	Maternity Allowance
	Pension Credit
	Second Adult Rebate
	Severe Disablement Allowance
	State Pension
	Statutory Adoption Pay
	Statutory Maternity Pay
	Statutory Paternity Pay
	Statutory Sick Pay
	War Disablement Pension
	War Widow's Pension
	Widowed Parents Allowance
	Working Tax Credit
	It also takes in to consideration the following income types:
	Child Maintenance payments
	Savings
	Capital
	Personal/Occupational Pension
	Other Income
	Benefits in payment
	Tax Credits (including 50+ additional WTC) in payment
	Work details—Income/expenses
	Income from Borders
	Income from current/previous tax year-
	Taxable Social Security Benefit
	Employee earnings
	Benefits in kind
	Self employed earnings
	Other earnings
	All other incomes are not taken in to consideration.
	At present, there are some limitations to the calculations the Better Off Calculator can perform, especially where there are complex rules or when discretion has to be applied; for example, with self-employment cases, students or persons from abroad when a calculation has to be done manually. Jobcentre Plus updates the Better Off Calculator twice each year to capture legislative changes, new initiatives and to implement further improvements.

Housing Benefit

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the  (a) total and  (b) average amount paid to households receiving local housing allowance above the five bed rate was in the most recent month for which figures are available, broken down by the smallest geographical area for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many households are in receipt of local housing allowance above the five bed rate  (a) nationally and  (b) broken down by the smallest geographical area for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: The information is not available.

Housing Benefit

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects on vulnerable people of direct payments of housing benefit.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 3 November 2008
	Two of the intended effects of the local housing allowance are to promote financial independence and personal responsibility. Therefore payments are normally made directly to tenants so they have personal responsibility for paying their rent. However, we recognise that there will always be a small proportion of tenants who will struggle with this, so there are circumstances in which the local authority has the power to pay benefit direct to the landlord.
	These are if the local authority either considers that the tenant is likely to have difficulty in relation to the management of their own affairs—for example, the tenant is known to have a learning disorder or a drug/alcohol problem that would mean they are likely to have difficulty handling a budget—or considers it improbable that the tenant will pay their rent; for example, the local authority is aware that the tenant has consistently failed to pay the rent on past occasions without good reason.
	Additionally, in housing benefit generally, payment direct to the landlord is a statutory requirement if a tenant has built up rent arrears of eight weeks or more, or is having deductions from their income support or jobseeker's allowance to pay off rent arrears. If this occurs, the local authority has the discretion to continue paying direct to the landlord when the level of arrears drops to below eight weeks.
	We plan to review the LHA, which was rolled out nationally from April 2008, during the first two years of operation.

Incapacity Benefit

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people on incapacity benefit who are capable of entering employment.

Jonathan R Shaw: Incapacity benefit is a benefit for people whom, due to ill health or disability, it would be unreasonable to require to work. People who are able to work can claim jobseeker's allowance.
	However, with help and support, many people on incapacity benefits are able to move into work. Through Pathways to Work, we support people on incapacity benefits to prepare to return to work. Pathways to Work has helped over 94,000 claimants into work since October 2003.

Jobcentre Plus

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on his plans for the reorganisation of Jobcentre Plus offices and processing centres in the South East of England;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the future of the Jobcentre Plus office at Sunley House, Aylesbury.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 20 October 2008
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking if he will make a statement on his plans for the reorganisation of Jobcentre Plus offices and processing centres in the South East of England; and if he will make a statement on the future of the Jobcentre Plus office at Sunley House, Aylesbury. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Since 2002 Jobcentre Plus has completed a national modernisation programme to improve levels of service to all our customers through new style Jobcentres, Contact Centres, Benefit Delivery Centres and the Internet. The roll out of Jobcentre Plus in the South East was completed with the opening of our new Portsmouth Jobcentre Plus office on 24 September 2008. The Jobcentre Plus network in the South East currently consists of 73 Jobcentres and 8 Benefit Delivery Centres.
	Our customers expect to access our services like any other organisation, as easily, directly and flexibly as possible. We are, therefore, offering far more of our services, both to employers and individual customers, through our Contact Centre network and the Internet. Customers making a benefit claim or enquiry can call a 0800 number to provide claim details by phone, this is free to landline users, with a call back facility available for those using mobile phones. This reduces the need to call into a Jobcentre and increasingly our offices are used for booked appointments only. In addition, we are providing a more individual service for our most disadvantaged customers, delivered in partnership with the public, private and voluntary sectors.
	Social Fund services to most of the region are provided by the Jobcentre Plus Benefit Delivery centre in Bowback House, Milton Keynes. The former Social Security Office Sunley House in Aylesbury has been used for some Social Fund work on a temporary basis until sufficient space became available in Milton Keynes.
	We have now acquired sufficient space in Bowback House, Milton Keynes to house the Sunley House Social Fund operations. The current planning assumption is that Social Fund work will migrate to Milton Keynes Benefit Delivery Centre by 31 March 2009. This will allow Jobcentre Plus to close Sunley House and realise a saving to its estate costs of approximately £420,000 in 2009/10.
	All Social Fund staff in Sunley House have been given the opportunity to redeploy to Milton Keynes Benefit Delivery Centre. A number of staff have already done so. Staff will also be able to apply for other Department for Work and Pensions vacancies at Aylesbury and Chesham Jobcentres as well as vacancies within HMRC in the Aylesbury area.
	Services to Jobcentre Plus customers in Aylesbury will not be affected by the closure of Sunley House as Social Fund payments to Aylesbury customers will be made from the Jobcentre in Heron House which is just a few hundred yards away.
	I hope you find this information helpful. I have asked Paul Williams (Customer Services Director for the South East) to contact you to arrange a suitable time to discuss your concerns either by phone or face to face, whichever is more convenient for you. However, if you would like to contact Paul directly in the meantime his number is: 01483 446065.

Jobcentre Plus: Closures

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobcentres have closed in each month since 1 January 2007; how many are scheduled for closure in the next year; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking how many Jobcentres have closed in each month since 1st January 2007, and how many are scheduled for closure in the next year. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The following table provides a month by month breakdown of the 81 Jobcentre Plus office closures between 1 January 2007 and October 2008.
	
		
			  Jobcentre Plus office closures broken down by month 
			   Closures 
			 January 2007 5 
			 February 2007 2 
			 March 2007 5 
			 April 2007 5 
			 May 2007 2 
			 June 2007 3 
			 July 2007 9 
			 August 2007 2 
			 September 2007 1 
			 October 2007 1 
			 November 2007 1 
			 December 2007 4 
			 January 2008 5 
			 February 2008 10 
			 March 2008 12 
			 April 2008 3 
			 May 2008 0 
			 June 2008 1 
			 July 2008 1 
			 August 2008 7 
			 September 2008 1 
			 October 2008 1 
		
	
	Three Jobcentres which are currently open to the public are scheduled for closure this year. They are all within Jobcentre Plus London Region: Brixton Hill, Feltham and Orpington. All three have been subject to a rigorous consultation process. Other than these, no decisions have yet been taken on further closures over the next 12 months.

Jobcentre Plus: Lost Property

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what records Jobcentre Plus has of the number of items of mail it has sent through the Royal Mail signed for services which have been  (a) lost and  (b) misplaced in the last 12 months.

Tony McNulty: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) use the Recorded Delivery and Special Delivery service, which are signed for postal services provided by Royal Mail. DWP business users of these services are responsible for reporting any misplaced or lost items directly to Royal Mail and records of lost or misplaced items are therefore not held centrally within DWP or centrally within Jobcentre Plus. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Jobcentre Plus: Manpower

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 19-20, on job centres, what his definition is of front line staff; and how many  (a) full-time equivalent staff and  (b) front line full-time equivalent staff were employed in each job centre in Argyll and Bute in each year since 2004.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 27 October 2008
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question, pursuant to the Answer of 20"1 October, Official Report, columns 19-20, on jobcentres, what his definition is of front line staff; and how many (a) full-time equivalent staff and (b) front line full-time equivalent staff were employed in each jobcentre in Argyll and Bute in each year since 2004.
	The number of frontline full time equivalent staff employed in the following Jobcentres in Argyll and Bute is as follows. All staff working in a Jobcentre are regarded as frontline staff.
	
		
			   March  each year 
			  Office  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Campbeltown 23.14 18.1 14.56 10.95 10.95 
			 Dunoon 14.35 11.54 14.54 9.54 9.54 
			 Helensburgh 13.77 9.77 8.77 9.77 7.77 
			 Oban 29.33 28.09 18.26 17.99 15.99 
			 Rothesay 11.96 10.42 9.42 7.41 6.41 
			  Note: Headcount figures are quoted in full-time equivalents using the Office for National Statistics criteria for counting headcount and details the position at March in each year.  Source: Jobcentre Plus Management Information Portal 
		
	
	It should be noted that the activities carried out in Jobcentres in 2008 are not the same as those carried out in 2004 as a result of the transfer of processing activities to Benefit Delivery Centres. For this reason it could be misleading to compare the staffing levels year on year.

Jobcentre Plus: Manpower

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) Jobcentre Plus staff and  (b) customer-facing Jobcentre Plus staff there are planned to be (i) in total, (ii) in each region and (iii) in each Jobcentre Plus district in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many (a) Jobcentre Plus staff and (b) customer facing Jobcentre Plus staff there were (i) in total, (ii) in each region and (iii) in each Jobcentre Plus district in each of the next 3 years; and if he will make a statement. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The Department's Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) 2007 settlement provides for the following staffing numbers in Jobcentre Plus:
	
		
			  March each year  Number 
			 2009 65,453 
			 2010 61,985 
			 2011 58,529 
		
	
	We do not have a future breakdown of this staffing by the categories you request.
	Our plans are under active review in the light of the current economic situation. We are already planning for Jobcentre Plus to have 2,000 more staff than the original assumption to enable us to respond to increasing numbers of customers. We do not yet have the detailed plans which describe the revised numbers for this year below a national level.

Maternity Benefits

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many maternity allowance claims remained unprocessed at the end of each quarter in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of maternity allowance claims were processed within  (a) seven,  (b) 14,  (c) 21,  (d) 28,  (e) 35,  (f) 49 and  (g) 63 days in each quarter of the last three years; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many staff have been working directly on the processing of maternity allowance claims in each quarter of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie:
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to reply to your questions on the processing of Maternity Allowance applications. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The target for clearing Maternity Allowance claims is 20 days and we expect to clear 4,800 claims within this timescale. Therefore, our normal "head of work", which is the amount of claims we expect to have outstanding at any one time, is 4,800 claims. Statistical information regarding Maternity Allowance claims is only available from April 2006. We have provided quarterly data from April 2006 to September 2008.
	
		
			  Quarter ending  Number of  maternity allowance  claims outstanding 
			 June 2006 4,650 
			 September 2006 3,833 
			 December 2006 4,287 
			 March 2007 5,933 
			 June 2007 6,616 
			 September 2007 6,823 
			 December 2007 5,973 
			 March 2008 6,326 
			 June 2008 10,937 
			 September 2008 4,513 
			  Source: Jobcentre Plus Management Information Portal 
		
	
	Clearance times for Maternity Allowance increased slightly this year over the summer months resulting in a backlog of 7,000 cases awaiting action. This was as a result of an increase in births leading to an increase in Maternity Allowance applications by a fifth. This increase also coincided with the centralisation of the administration of Maternity Allowance claims between December 2007 and August 2008 into four Benefit Delivery Centres covering the whole country and a temporary dip in productivity associated with retraining existing members of staff. The backlog has now been cleared and we have returned to our normal "head of work".
	Information relating to the proportion of Maternity Allowance claims processed within 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 49 and 63 days is not held.
	Statistical information regarding details of staff working on Maternity Allowance claims is only available from April 2006. We have provided quarterly data from April 2006 to June 2008. Data for the second quarter of 2008 is not yet available, however, we have provided the average figure incorporating August 2008 data.
	The figures quoted relate to staff working on Maternity Allowance new claims and maintenance activities and also include any general support duties and related Maternity Allowance work, including acting as telephone point of contact for all enquiries relating to claims and maintenance. It should be noted however, that before benefit centralisation many staff working on other benefits often helped on Maternity Allowance and this work would not have been recorded on the system. Therefore figures are not comparable year on year.
	
		
			  M aternity allowance—average full- time equivalent staff per quarter 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Quarter 1 87.09 80.60 126.19 
			 Quarter 2 91.54 91.62 n/a 
			 Quarter 3 82.60 107.85 n/a 
			 Quarter 4 76.77 126.80 n/a 
			 Yearly Average 84.50 101.72 130.66 
			  Source: Jobcentre Plus Activity Based Management Portal

Mediation

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made on his Department's mediation with a counsellor initiative; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 30 October 2008
	The Department has successfully been running a mediation pilot for employees in selected parts of Jobcentre Plus and Pension, Disability and Carers Service since 9 June 2008. The pilot offers mediation as a voluntary alternative to the formal grievance procedures. The pilot is due to finish on 9 January 2009 and it will then be evaluated. Following this a decision will be taken about whether to offer mediation on a permanent basis.

Pension Credit

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average response time was for new pensions credit applications in  (a) Eastbourne constituency,  (b) East Sussex and  (c) the UK in each of the last 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not available at the level requested.

Pension Credit

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of pension credit applications received by the Pension Service in the last 12 months have been repeat applications.

Rosie Winterton: The Agency does not have any information on the volume of repeat applications.

Pension Credit

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pension credit applications the Pension Service received in each of the last 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: The Pension Service has received a total of 280,893 applications for pension credit in the last 12 months. The following table shows the total number of applications received for each of the last 12 months.
	
		
			   PC applications received 
			 October 2007 24,121 
			 November 2007 24,319 
			 December 2007 17,123 
			 January 2008 25,619 
			 February 2008 23,460 
			 March 2008 20,791 
			 April 2008 24,265 
			 May 2008 21,946 
			 June 2008 23,251 
			 July 2008 27,903 
			 August 2008 22,869 
			 September 2008 25,226 
			   
			 12 month total 280,893

Pensioners: Bus Services

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners claimed free bus travel in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK in each year since its inception.

Paul Clark: I have been asked to reply.
	Concessionary travel is administered at a local level therefore the Government do not hold historic pass holder data. However, due to the recent reissue of passes for the introduction of the England-wide concession, the Government collected data concerning numbers of pass holders from each travel concession authority.
	The totals for Jarrow and the metropolitan borough of South Tyneside are both included in the figures for Nexus, the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive. In October 2007 Nexus reported a total of 219,073 elderly and disabled pass holders. The total for the North East region was 460,094 and for England as a whole 7,491,416.

Post Office Card Account

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the accuracy of information provided on the telephone by Pensions Service staff about the future of the Post Office card account; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 3 November 2008
	We continually monitor our communications and issue appropriate reminders and updates to staff.
	Customers are being provided with information about the Post Office card account and around 12,500 new card accounts are being opened every month.

Post Office Card Account

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received on the future of the Post Office card account.

Rosie Winterton: I and my ministerial colleagues have received a number of letters on the future of the Post Office card account. We have also answered questions in the House and responded to points raised during debates.

Post Office Card Account: Chelmsford

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in  (a) West Chelmsford constituency and  (b) the Chelmsford local authority area have a Post Office card account.

Rosie Winterton: The answer is not available in the precise format requested.
	The following table shows the number of benefit and pension accounts paid into a Post Office card account in  (a) the West Chelmsford constituency and  (b) the Chelmsford local authority area.
	
		
			  Payment type: Post Office card account 
			   Number 
			 West Chelmsford constituency 3,700 
			 Chelmsford local authority area 5,360 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and refer to payment accounts live and in payment as at 12 April 2008. Claimants with more than one account will be counted for each account. 2. Child benefit is administered by HM Revenue and Customs and War Pensions are administered by MOD. These benefits have been excluded.  Source: DWP, Information Directorate

Social Security Benefits

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average processing time for  (a) disability living allowance and  (b) pension credit applications was (i) in each of the smallest geographical areas for which information is available and (ii) in total in each quarter of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information is as follows:
	 (a) Disability living allowance
	Please see the following table giving the DLA New Claim (Normal Rules) year to date (YTD) average actual clearance times (AACT) in each of the new claim business units for DLA for each quarter of the last five years and the equivalent DLA national figure.
	
		
			   2003-04  2004-05 
			  YTD DLA NR C laims AACT  Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4  Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4 
			 Edinburgh 36.4 36.6 36.7 37.9 40.6 39.3 39.1 38.0 
			 Newcastle 32.4 32.3 31.9 32.1 35.3 35.5 35.0 34.7 
			 Leeds 41.0 40.4 39.2 37.5 34.2 34.2 32.7 32.3 
			 Manchester 33.5 34.4 35.5 35.8 38.1 36.3 35.4 34.2 
			 Bootle 35.3 36.4 37.2 37.5 37.0 37.7 36.1 34.7 
			 Midlands 34.5 35.8 35.6 35.0 33.5 33.6 32.9 32.4 
			 Bristol 37.3 40.6 40.5 39.2 38.3 38.3 36.0 34.5 
			 Wales 36.5 40.6 40.1 39.0 35.7 37.3 36.7 35.4 
			 Wembley 41.0 42.3 43.0 43.0 35.1 35.6 35.8 36.0 
			 Sutton 40.3 40.8 40.6 40.3 36.3 36.5 36.1 36.3 
			 Glasgow 39.1 39.3 38.4 37.9 35.8 36.0 33.9 32.6 
			 DCPU5 NCU — — — — — — — — 
			 Bootle NE — — — — — — — — 
			 Wales NE — — — — — — — — 
			 DCPU 1 NCU — — — — — — — — 
			 National 38.8 39.9 40.0 39.7 37.5 37.7 36.7 36.2 
		
	
	
		
			   2005-06  2006-07 
			  YTD  DLA NR Claims AACT  Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4  Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4 
			 Edinburgh 38.0 39.3 38.5 37.9 36.9 37.7 37.5 36.7 
			 Newcastle 35.8 37.7 37.9 38.0 38.2 40.1 40.3 — 
			 Leeds 30.9 31.2 30.7 30.9 33.6 35.4 35.2 35.2 
			 Manchester 29.2 29.3 29.7 29.7 29.4 32.3 35.0 35.7 
			 Bootle 32.8 32.7 32.4 31.6 32.9 34.4 35.5 35.8 
			 Midlands 29.9 31.3 31.7 31.7 32.0 32.1 33.2 34.2 
			 Bristol 31.5 33.5 34.6 34.4 43.2 42.8 43.7 44.4 
			 Wales 31.9 33.7 34.7 35.0 34.9 35.4 37.1 37.8 
			 Wembley 33.2 33.4 33.7 34.6 38.6 38.7 39.5 39.7 
			 Sutton 40.4 40.6 40.7 40.9 — — — — 
			 Glasgow 31.9 35.1 36.4 36.7 31.7 33.5 34.4 33.8 
			 DCPU 5 NCU 20.3 25.9 29.8 30.6 29.6 29.6 30.3 30.0 
			 Bootle NE — — — — — — — 34.8 
			 Wales NE — — — — — — — 34.1 
			 DCPU 1 NCU — — — — — — — — 
			 National 33.5 __34.3 34.5 34.5 35.0 35.8 36.7 36.8 
		
	
	
		
			   2007-08  2008-09 
			  YTDDLA NR Claims AACT  Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4  Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4 
			 Edinburgh 34.0 35.7 37.3 36.6 — — — — 
			 Newcastle — — — — — — — — 
			 Leeds 34.2 33.0 31.6 30.7 25.8 25.1 — — 
			 Manchester 35.2 34.5 34.2 32.9 28.4 27.8 — — 
			 Bootle 36.5 36.8 37.5 35.5 29.2 29.9 — — 
			 Midlands 37.5 38.3 37.2 35.8 29.0 29.7 — — 
			 Bristol 46.6 44.5 43.5 40.5 29.2 29.0 — — 
			 Wales 37.6 37.0 36.1 34.7 29.2 30.8 — — 
			 Wembley 42.5 43.0 43.0 41.1 29.5 30.3 — — 
			 Sutton — — — — — — — — 
			 Glasgow 33.2 35.7 35.1 34.2 30.8 31.8 — — 
			 DCPU 5 NCU 27.6 31.7 33.6 32.6 31.7 32.9 — — 
			 Bootle NE 37.8 37.9 37.9 37.0 32.3 32.4 — — 
			 Wales NE 36.6 36.4 35.7 34.1 29.3 31.4 — — 
			 DCPU 1 NCU — — — — 12.4 16.9 — — 
			 National 36.9 37.7 37.5 36.0 29.5 29.8 — — 
			  Notes:  DLA AACT target: 2003-04 = 42 days, 2004-08 = 39 days and 2008-09 = 38 days. When Sutton DBC was closed the DLA new claims work was transferred to DCPU 5 New Claims Unit. When Newcastle DBC was closed the DLA new claims work was transferred to the Bootle and Wales offices (Bootle North East and Wales North East). When Edinburgh DBC was closed down the DLA new claims work was transferred to DCPU 1 New Claims Unit.  2. The table above shows that for the majority of the units the YTD target for DLA New Claims was met, this despite the target being reduced from 42 days in 2003-04 to 38 days for this year. Over this period all units have seen a steady reduction in their YTD performance ranging from a decrease of 15.9 days at Leeds DBC to 4.8 days at Midlands DBC, from the first quarter of 2003-04 to the second quarter of 2008-09. Also throughout this period the national YTD performance was below target for all of the quarters and reduced from 38.8 days in the first quarter of 2003-04 to 29.8 days in the second quarter of 2008-09, a decrease of nine days.   Source:  RDA 80123 Monthly Reports. 
		
	
	 (b) Pension credit
	Please see the following table giving the pension credit new claim year to date (YTD) average actual clearance times (AACT) in each of the current Pension Centres for each quarter of the last five years and the equivalent pension credit national figure.
	
		
			   2003-04  2004-05 
			   Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4  Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4 
			 Burnley 9.4 17.2 23.8 19.8 9.7 10.7 9.3 7.0 
			 Cwmbran 2.8 7.4 4.5 3.6 4.1 4.6 6.3 5.4 
			 Dundee 14.5 10.3 10.7 7.1 6.8 7.7 12.5 12.2 
			 Leicester 8.6 11.3 13.4 8.6 9.7 12.0 17.3 13.2 
			 London 7,9 8.8 13.5 12.6 10.0 14.7 15.1 12.2 
			 Motherwell 17.1 17.6 16.5 11.9 8.8 9.9 15.0 14.4 
			 Seaham 6.4 6.3 9.2 6.5 6.4 8.2 12.1 8.1 
			 Stockport 16.8 18.6 14.8 11.6 11.5 11.1 11.6 10.7 
			 Swansea 12.1 13.8 12.5 9.4 10.2 10.7 11.7 10.0 
			 Warrington 13.4 12.1 9.8 7.6 7.0 8.9 15.3 9.7 
			 National 9.7 11.4 14.3 11.1 9.2 10.9 12.3 10.2 
		
	
	
		
			   2005-06  2006-07 
			   Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4  Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4 
			 Burnley 8.0 10.9 10.0 9.9 11.0 6.4 8.0 15.1 
			 Cwmbran 6.5 7.5 7.1 6.4 7.6 6.5 9.7 12.9 
			 Dundee 8.6 8.3 10.0 7.2 8.6 9.5 11.9 14.2 
			 Leicester 11.0 13.7 12.0 12.8 10.5 6.7 10.9 14.9 
			 London 11.1 9.2 8.8 10.5 12.8 12.2 17.7 20.4 
			 Motherwell 12.0 10.3 7.2 6.5 8.4 12.0 12.0 16.6 
			 Seaham 7.7 9.7 8.7 11.0 9.5 10.4 12.7 15.6 
			 Stockport 8.4 8.8 8.3 8.5 11.5 11.6 17.8 23.6 
			 Swansea 9.4 9.2 9.3 9.5 12.8 9.8 15.1 14.4 
			 Warrington 7.0 7.4 10.0 12.1 9.0 9.9 12.4 16.6 
			 National 8.8 8.5 8.5 9.1 10.1 9.7 12.7 15.8 
		
	
	
		
			   2007-08  2008-09 
			   Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4  Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4 
			 Burnley 15.4 15.9 12.4 11.0 11.5 10.5 — — 
			 Cwmbran 9.9 9.5 8.4 9.6 9.3 9.1 — — 
			 Dundee 14.3 14.2 11.8 11.4 11.9 12.0 — — 
			 Leicester 19.0 24.2 28.1 15.1 16.1 19.3 — — 
			 London 17.8 13.8 11.5 13.6 12.5 12.4 — — 
			 Motherwell 15.3 16.7 11.9 14.2 15.4 16.0 — — 
			 Seaham 15.7 15.0 16.2 16.7 11.6 11.7 — — 
			 Stockport 19.2 24.0 24.2 23.8 18.5 19.8 — — 
			 Swansea 12.4 13.4 16.2 17.0 17.3 17.3 — — 
			 Warrington 15.8 18.8 15.8 13.1 16.4 18.7 — — 
			 National 15.2 16.7 15.8 14.9 14.3 14.9 — — 
			  Notes:  Pension Credit AACT target: 2003-07 = 10 days, 2007-09 = 15 days. As part of the Transformation Programme, the ten Pension Centres shown above now deal with all pension credit applications. In 2003, there were 26 pension centres and there has been a gradual reduction to present state. The target of 10 days was eased to 15 days to allow the new transformation processes to be embedded within the organisation. Currently, at a national level the 15-day target is being achieved.   Source:  Management Information System Programme. 
		
	
	The pension centres deal with the following geographic areas:
	
		
			   Geographic area 
			 Burnley Norfolk, Cambs, Herts, Essex, Cumbria, Beds, Suffolk and North Lanes 
			 Cwmbran Hants, Berks, Oxon, Bucks, IOW, Gloucs and Wilts 
			 Dundee East and North Scotland, Highlands, North and South Yorkshire and East Riding 
			 Leicester Leics, Northants, Notts and Lincs 
			 London London and Surrey 
			 Motherwell Ayrshire, North and South Lanarkshire, Glasgow, West Scotland, Kent, East and West Sussex 
			 Seaham North East, Bradford and Keighley 
			 Stockport Worcs, Warwicks, Shropshire, Staffs, Birmingham, Herefords and Derbys 
			 Swansea Wales and South West 
			 Warrington Lanes, Merseyside and Manchester

Social Security Benefits Agency: Expenditure

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost to the public purse of the Benefits Agency was in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08.

Tony McNulty: The Benefits Agency ceased to exist in 2002.
	Information concerning the cost to the public purse of the Department for Work and Pensions is available in its 2008 Departmental Report (Cm 7401), copies of which are in the Library.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were prosecuted for crimes relating to benefit fraud in  (a) West Chelmsford constituency and  (b) the Chelmsford local authority area in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The information is not available.

Social Security Benefits: Industrial Disputes

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what contingency plans he is considering to ensure the efficient and effective operation of benefit payments for the duration of planned industrial action by civil service unions;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect on his Department's published performance targets of planned industrial action by civil service unions; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the effect on pension and benefit recipients of planned industrial action by civil service unions;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department's budget of planned industrial action by civil service unions; and what adjustments will be necessary to ensure that his Department's budgets balance.

Tony McNulty: Our contingency plans, which are flexible and proven, include prioritising our resources to ensure that our top priority—to make payments to our customers—is maintained throughout any strike action by staff. We will also maintain access to our services by telephone and wherever possible face to face.
	Ninety-eight per cent. of DWP customers receive automated payments. Customers, including pensioners, job seekers, benefit claimants and those who rely on child maintenance payments will continue to receive the payments on which they depend.
	The flexible nature of our business delivery and our business continuity planning will enable us to minimise the impact of industrial action on published performance targets.
	Short-term periods of industrial action do not have any significant impact on the Department's budget.

State Retirement Pensions

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals received late payment of their state pension during the last 12 months in  (a) Eastbourne constituency,  (b) East Sussex and  (c) the UK.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not available.

State Retirement Pensions

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals received a late payment of their deferred state pension in each of the last 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not available.

State Retirement Pensions: Hillingdon

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals received late payment of their state pension in  (a) the London Borough of Hillingdon and  (b) Uxbridge constituency in the last 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not available.

State Retirement Pensions: Overseas Residence

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many state pension recipients live outside the UK.

Rosie Winterton: The latest estimate of the number of UK state pensions paid to pensioners living outside the UK is approximately 1,090,000.
	 Source
	Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study, 100 per cent data, February 2008

Vocational Training: South Yorkshire

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of employment training funding provided to training providers in  (a) South Yorkshire,  (b) Rotherham and  (c) Barnsley was (i) spent on training and (ii) retained as cash, profits of charges by the training provider over the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not available.
	This is primarily a matter for the individual providers. The Department awards contracts which stipulate a given level and quality of provision at an agreed price which represents value for money and providers are expected to deliver against the terms of those contracts.

Vocational Training: South Yorkshire

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how much has been allocated, and to which organisations, by the Government on employment training in  (a) South Yorkshire,  (b) Rotherham and  (c) Barnsley in each of the last five years;
	(2)  which training providers have provided services paid for by employment training funding in  (a) South Yorkshire,  (b) Rotherham and  (c) Barnsley in each of the last five years;
	(3)  which training providers received employment training funding in  (a) South Yorkshire,  (b) Rotherham and  (c) Barnsley in the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The following table provides details of the providers, in each of the locations requested, that have received employment training funding from the Department in the last five years and the estimated contract values for the providers in the South Yorkshire district. Some of the values represent a number of different contracts held by individual providers.
	The Department does not hold central records of employment training funding allocated to individual towns and could provide this information only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  South Yorkshire  Rotherham  Barnsley 
			  Providers  Contract(s) value (£)  Providers  Providers 
			 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council 1,276,800 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council 
			 Personnel Evaluation Consultants Ltd. 3,975,728 Personnel Evaluation Consultants Ltd. Personnel Evaluation Consultants Ltd. 
			 Phoenix Enterprises 774,451 Phoenix Enterprises  
			 SOVA (Supporting others through volunteer action) 1,000,923 SOVA SOVA 
			 The Source at Meadowhall 909,504 The Source at Meadowhall — 
			 Action for Employment 27,384,210 — — 
			 BTCV Enterprises 1,060,980 — — 
			 Business Employment Services Training Ltd. (BEST Ltd.) 8,591,499 — — 
			 Community Training Services 1,371,142 — — 
			 Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council 710,400 — — 
			 Into Business Scheme 349,059 — — 
			 Morthyng Ltd. 616,210 — — 
			 NACRO 823,078 — — 
			 Nationwide Ethnic Transport Training Ltd. (NETT Ltd.) 1,166,698 — — 
			 Reed in Partnership 4,729,487 — — 
			 Sheffield City Council 2,210,968 — — 
			 Sheffield Futures 767,365 — — 
			 Work Fit 204,000 — — 
			 Lifetime Careers 1,192,032 — —

Winter Fuel Payments

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 29 September 2008,  Official Report, column 2402W, on winter fuel payments, what estimate he has made of the value of the winter fuel payment in 2008-09 for a 60 to 79 year-old, expressed as a percentage of the average annual energy and gas bill.

Rosie Winterton: Actual expenditure data on the average annual energy and gas bill for 2008-09 are not available. However, based on fuel price changes to September 2008 it is estimated that the winter fuel payment of £200 plus the additional payment of £50 for 2008-09 would make up around 20 per cent. of the average annual energy and gas bill.
	 Notes:
	1. Household energy expenditure on energy is taken from the 2006 Family Spending Survey for 65-74 year olds, uprated by changes in the price of fuel and light to September 2008
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 per cent.

Winter Fuel Payments: Hillingdon

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how much he expects to pay to pensioner households in  (a) the London Borough of Hillingdon and  (b) Uxbridge constituency in winter fuel payments in 2008-09;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of households in  (a) the London Borough of Hillingdon and  (b) Uxbridge constituency which will receive the (i) £250 and (ii) £400 winter fuel payment in 2008-09.

Rosie Winterton: Expenditure in 2006-07 on winter fuel payments in  (a) the London borough of Hillingdon was £7.3 million and in  (b) the Uxbridge constituency was £2.4 million. Forecasts of benefit expenditure are not produced below national level.
	It is not possible to derive a forecast for 2008-09 using 2006-07 outturn data because the benefit rates for winter fuel payments have changed for 2008-09 and because adequate caseload data are not available.
	 Notes
	1. Expenditure figures have been rounded to the nearest £100,000.
	2. Parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	3. Please note that a small number of these households receive amounts higher than the usual rate for their age group, where the household includes more than two individuals each entitled to payments at half of the usual household rate.
	 Source
	Information directorate 100 per cent. data
	Figures for winter 2007-08 are not yet available. The number of households that received the £200 and £300 winter fuel payment in winter 2006-07 are shown in the following table. We expect similar numbers to receive the £250 and £400 respectively in winter 2008-09.
	
		
			  Number of households  £ 
			  London borough of Hillingdon  
			 24,050 200 
			 7,840 300 
			   
			  Uxbridge constituency  
			 7,750 200 
			 2,500 300 
			  Notes: 1. Figures rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory. 3. Please note that a small number of these households receive amounts higher than the usual rate for their age group, where the household includes more than two individuals each entitled to payments at half of the usual household rate.  Source: Information directorate 100 per cent. data

Working Tax Credit

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of all eligible recipients of working tax credit are currently in receipt of the childcare element.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is not available.
	However, the estimated number of families benefiting from the child care element of working tax credit, at April 2008, is provided in Table 4.4 of the HMRC publication "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. April 2008". This is available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-quarterly-stats.htm

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Ministerial Policy Advisers: Written Questions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Leader of the House if she will put in place arrangements for questions for written answer to be tabled to Government envoys.

Chris Bryant: No, as Ministers should remain accountable for policies, decisions and actions of their Departments and agencies.

Regional Ministers: Written Questions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Leader of the House if she will put in place arrangements for questions for written answer to be tabled to regional ministers.

Chris Bryant: Questions for written answer which relate to regional matters may be tabled to the relevant Secretary of State.
	The House will shortly have the opportunity to consider motions establishing regional Select Committees and regional Grand Committees, including provision for ministers to answer questions in the Grand Committees.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made on the implementation of the action plan on peace, reconciliation and justice in Afghanistan; and what assistance the UK has given to civil society organisations in the country in support of that implementation since 2002.

Bill Rammell: The UK has given the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) £500,000 to support its three-year action plan for 2006-2008, which includes the implementation of the peace, reconciliation and justice action plan. Our support helps the AIHRC to collect and record evidence of past human rights abuses, raise awareness about transitional justice and lobby the Afghan Government for action. In 2007, the AIHRC's Transitional Justice Unit documented 86 mass graves related to past human rights abuses; such information will contribute to any future progress on transitional justice.

Afghanistan: Politics and Government

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government plan to take to help address corruption in public life in Afghanistan.

Bill Rammell: We continue to press President Karzai to take action against corrupt public officials and look forward to working with the new Minister of the Interior, Hanif Atmar, to tackle corruption in the Rule of Law sector, in particular policing. The Department for International Development has supported work to identify and address the areas of the Government of Afghanistan that are most vulnerable to corruption.
	The Department for International Development is working closely with the World Bank to put in place more robust public financial management systems across the Government, and is engaged with other international partners to identify support requirements for the Government's new anti-corruption body. In addition, the UK is providing anti-corruption specialists to strengthen Afghan law enforcement and justice institutions with a focus on the prosecution of counter-narcotics and corruption-related cases.

Bangladesh: Politics and Government

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the caretaker Government of Bangladesh about lifting the state of emergency before the commencement of the campaign period for the elections in December.

Bill Rammell: When my noble Friend, the Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch-Brown, visited Bangladesh in October, he reiterated to the caretaker Government, the main political parties, civil society and the media the UK's support for fair and credible elections. He made clear that the lifting of the state of emergency would be a major step towards this goal.

Belarus: Children

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to make representations to the Belarus authorities to allow the resumption of exchange programmes of Belarus children from the Chernobyl area.

Caroline Flint: Our ambassador to Belarus has been in close contact with the authorities in Minsk in recent weeks, raising our concerns about their decision to suspend these programmes. UK arrangements have worked well, with a high standard of care and safe return of the children to their guardians. We hope to find an amicable solution of the issue to allow the resumption of these programmes.

Belarus: Children

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK Government support the presumption of the exchange programmes of Belarus children from the area north of Chernobyl; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Government fully support the resumption of charitable programmes bringing children from Chernobyl affected areas to western countries for short respite holidays. The British ambassador to Belarus has been in close contact with the authorities in Minsk, raising our concerns following their recent suspension of the programme. UK arrangements worked well, with a high standard of care and safe return of the children to their guardians. We hope to be able to find an amicable resolution of the issue to allow these visits to resume quickly.

Chernobyl: Children

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if his Department will take steps to facilitate arrangements for children from Chernobyl to be able to travel to the UK in accordance with the motion passed at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 13 October 2008.

Caroline Flint: The Government support the motion of the Council of Europe calling on the Belarusian authorities to end the travel ban for children who participate in various assistance programmes. The British ambassador to Belarus has been in close contact with the authorities in Minsk, raising our concerns. UK arrangements have worked well, with a high standard of care and safe return of the children to their guardians. We hope to find an amicable resolution of the issue to allow the resumption of these programmes.

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region: Elections

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on elections in the Hong Kong special administrative region.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has regular contact with his Chinese counterpart to discuss a whole range of issues, including Hong Kong. He pays close attention to Hong Kong, and comments on developments in the Six-Monthly Report. A particular focus is on Hong Kong's progress towards universal suffrage. On 29 December 2007 the Foreign Secretary released the following comments on Hong Kong's elections:
	"Today's announcement by the National People's Congress that there will not be universal suffrage in the 2012 Hong Kong elections will be a disappointment for all those who want to see Hong Kong move to full democracy as soon as possible."
	"As the Hong Kong SAR Government has itself recognised, this includes the majority of Hong Kong's own people who have clearly said that they wish to elect the Chief Executive by universal suffrage in 2012."
	"I remain of the view that both China and Hong Kong's interests will be best served by allowing Hong Kong to move to full democracy as soon as possible. The National People's Congress' statement clearly points towards universal suffrage for the Chief Executive election in 2017 and the legislative council thereafter. I hope that all parties concerned can engage in meaningful dialogue to allow this, and that the Hong Kong authorities will now put forward constructive proposals making progress in 2012 to achieve this goal."

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region: Tourism

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK citizens visited the Hong Kong special administrative region in  (a) 2007 and  (b) 2006.

Bill Rammell: According to figures provided by the Hong Kong Immigration Department, 628,332 UK citizens visited Hong Kong in 2007 and 546,026 visited in 2006.

India: Christianity

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the current security situation for Christians in the state of Orissa, India;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with the Indian Government and the Indian Ambassador to the Court of St. James on reports of extreme violence towards Christians in India in recent months;
	(3)  what reports he has received of the security situation for Christians in the state of Karnataka, India;
	(4)  what steps the Government are taking to promote the safety of Christians in India from violence, and fear of violence;
	(5)  what reports he has received of the security situation for Christians in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India.

Bill Rammell: We have received reports of around 40 deaths, 3,000 homes burnt and 27,000 people homeless following the recent violence against Christians in Orissa. Christian missionaries and church buildings have also been attacked in Karnataka, and there have been at least 35 major incidents against the Christian community in Madhya Pradesh this year, too. We believe that there are a variety of factors behind the recent violence in Orissa. The British high commission in New Delhi continues to monitor the situation closely.
	We welcome the Indian Prime Minister's unequivocal statements condemning the attacks, most recently on 13 October. We have expressed our concerns directly with the Indian Government and their representatives. On 1 October, my noble Friend the Minister of State for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch-Brown, raised the matter with the Indian high commissioner in London. On 17 October, he also discussed our concerns with Anand Sharma, Indian Minister of External Affairs, and Mohammed Quereshi, Chairman of the Minorities Commission in New Delhi. The issue of religious freedom is due to be raised at the EU-India Human Rights Dialogue in New Delhi later this year.

India: Crimes of Violence

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of religious violence in Orissa state, India; what assessment he has made of its effect on the stability of India; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We have received reports of around 40 deaths, 3,000 homes burnt and 27,000 people homeless following the recent violence against Christians in Orissa. We assess that there are a number of issues at play, including the role of minorities, castes and politics. We welcome the Indian Prime Minister's unequivocal statements, including most recently on 13 October, when he condemned the attacks; called for urgent measures to tackle religious violence; authorised deployment of additional police to restore law and order and offered compensation to the victims. On 17 October, during his visit to New Delhi, my noble Friend the Minister of State for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch-Brown, expressed the Government's concerns about the current situation to Anand Sharma, Indian Minister of State for External Affairs, and Mohammed Quereshi, Chairman of the Minorities Commission in New Delhi.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which representatives of his Department and those agencies for which he is responsible were present at the briefing given on 26 February 2004 by the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross on that organisation's report on alleged abuses by coalition forces in Iraq.

Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given by my right. hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary (Mr. Straw) to my hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead and Highgate (Glenda Jackson) on 26 May 2004,  Official Report, column 1635W. We would not as a matter of course identify officials involved in such meetings but I can confirm that the officials were representatives of the Office of the UK Special Representative in Baghdad.

Kashmir: Armed Conflict

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in India and Pakistan on easing movements across the line of control in Kashmir.

Bill Rammell: The UK has long been at the forefront of seeking to improve conditions for residents of Jammu and Kashmir on both sides of the line of control. In September and October this year, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed the need for progress on economic links between India and Pakistan, and between the two divided parts of Kashmir with President Zardari of Pakistan and Indian Minister for External Affairs, Pranab Mukherjee. We also consistently raise with both countries the importance of making progress on bilateral relations, including improving conditions for Kashmiris on both sides of the line of control.
	Improving cross-border trade between India and Pakistan is important to developing the economies of both countries and cementing progress in the bilateral relationship. We therefore welcome the recent reopening of trade across the line of control.

Kosovo: Refugees

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received from HM Ambassador in Kosovo on Roma refugee camps in Kosovo.

Caroline Flint: The Government continue to be concerned by the situation in the Roma refugee camps in northern Kosovo. The British embassy in Pristina monitors UN and non-governmental organisation (NGO) reports on the three affected camps: Osterode/Osterode, Cesmin Llug/Cesmin Lug and Leposavic/Leposaviq. International donors and NGOs have recently provided funding to help with rebuilding houses and are assisting members of the Roma community to rebuild their lives. 450 people have moved out of the camps after the completion of the first phase of the rebuilding of the Roma Mahalla, the Roma district of Mitrovica/Mitrovicė which was destroyed during the 1998-99 conflict. A further 48 people are in the process of being assessed for return to suitable accommodation. According to the Danish Refugee Council which administers the camps, there are approximately 169 Roma still living in the camps.

Renewable Energy

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on the European Union's targets for renewable energy usage; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The EU's climate change and energy package is an example of EU global leadership on climate change. Agreement on the package, later this year, will underline that the EU is on a fast track to a low carbon economy. A key part of this is the target the EU has set itself of deriving 20 per cent. of its energy needs from renewables.
	The climate and energy package, including the renewables element, has been the subject of several recent discussions in the NSID-EU Cabinet Committee, which my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary chairs, and at which the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) is represented. BERR's recent consultation on the UK's renewable energy strategy sets out plans for driving up the use of renewable energy in the UK, to enable us to meet our share of the EU target. It will help shape the UK's renewable energy strategy, which will be published next spring, once the UK's share of the target is agreed.
	The lead for the EU's 2020 package was previously shared between BERR and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Following recent structural changes, that lead now falls to the Department for Energy and Climate Change.

Russia: South Ossetia

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he plans to make to the Russian Government on their refusal to allow the EU ceasefire monitors into South Ossetia and Abkhazia; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I, along with senior officials, are in regular contact on this issue with our partners in the EU, UN and Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The Government continue to press the Russian Government, through these organisations, to allow the OSCE monitors and the EU monitoring mission access to South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
	The head of the OSCE mission visited Moscow on 22 October and met with the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister to discuss access to the disputed territories. France currently holds the EU presidency and on 22 October the French Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner, called on the Russians to grant European observers in Georgia access to the disputed areas.

Somalia: Piracy

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to tackle piracy in the waters off the Somali coast.

Bill Rammell: The Government supported United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) 1816 and 1838 calling on parties to address the growing problem of piracy off the coast of Somalia. We have been working with our EU and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) partners to implement these resolutions.
	In September, the EU set up a team to co-ordinate naval escorts protecting World Food Programme deliveries to Mogadishu. The EU is now planning a larger counter-piracy operation to which the UK will provide the operation commander and operation headquarters. EU partners agree that any operation must be co-ordinated with NATO and Combined Task Force 150, themselves active to deter piracy off the Horn of Africa. The UK contributes to both.
	Through the Department for International Development, the UK has allocated £25 million to support efforts to tackle instability in Somalia, which creates the conditions allowing piratical activity to flourish.

Uzbekistan

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Uzbekistan on establishing an independent inquiry into the events in Andijan in May 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The UK has proposed on numerous occasions, both bilaterally and with EU partners, to the Government of Uzbekistan that they establish an independent inquiry into the events in Andijan in May 2005. Most recently, Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials raised this issue with the Uzbek Government during a visit to Tashkent in May 2008.
	The EU has held two rounds of EU-Uzbekistan experts' meetings on the Andijan events, where the Uzbek side has maintained that these events were a foreign-led conspiracy to exploit religious "extremists" and terrorism in order to effect a "coloured revolution". The Uzbek authorities have consistently rejected calls for an independent, international enquiry.

Uzbekistan: Human Rights

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the next EU-Uzbekistan Human Rights Dialogue will take place; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The third EU-Uzbekistan Human Rights Dialogue is due to take place in mid-2009. The second EU-Uzbekistan Human Rights Dialogue took place on 5 June 2008 under the Slovenian presidency.

Uzbekistan: Human Rights

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Uzbekistan on the detention of journalists Salijon Abdurahmanov and Yusuf Juma; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Officials from our embassy in Tashkent have met Salijon Abdurahmanov and Yusuf Juma on a number of occasions. We are deeply concerned by their arrests and are following their situation closely. Both cases were raised at the EU-Uzbekistan Human Rights Dialogue on 5 June 2008.
	Together with our EU partners, we continue to urge the Uzbek authorities to implement fully their international human rights obligations.

Uzbekistan: Refugees

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of refugees who left Uzbekistan for neighbouring countries following events in Andijan in May 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: UK estimates of the number of refugees who left Uzbekistan for neighbouring countries following events in Andijan in May 2005 are based on figures released by the international agencies.
	The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) was closely involved in supporting efforts by Kyrgyzstan to give shelter to some 500 refugees from Andijan in May 2005. Of the 450 refugees who initially registered with UNHCR, 439 were transferred to Romania at the end of July and on to third countries. There may be many more Uzbek refugees in Kyrgyzstan who have not registered with UNHCR or other international organisations.
	We are aware that small numbers of refugees from Uzbekistan applied for asylum in other states including Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.
	The EU has raised concerns with Kyrgyzstan and other host countries at the return of some refugees to Uzbekistan contrary to international law.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Register

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what assessment the Commission has made of the accuracy of the Electoral Register.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that its 2005 report, 'Understanding Electoral Registration', found that the best estimate for non- registration among the eligible household population in England and Wales at 15 October 2000 was between 8 per cent. and 9 per cent. The report is available in the House of Commons Library and on the Commission's website.
	In addition, the Commission published in October 2007 the findings of a report by GfK NOP into registration in London: The completeness and accuracy of the Electoral Registers in Greater London—a pilot study, which is available on its website.
	The Commission also informs me that it is planning to undertake a review of local Electoral Registers in a small sample of local authority areas. This is due to begin in early 2009.

Political Parties: Finance

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how many cases involving  (a) regulated donees and  (b) possible breaches of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 the Electoral Commission has (i) investigated, (ii) considered referring to the police and (iii) referred to the police in (A) 2008 and (B) in each of the last eight years; what offences were involved in each case; and how many investigators were employed on this work in 2008.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has investigated five cases involving regulated donees and possible breaches of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA). Two cases arose in 2007 and the remaining three arose in 2008.
	I am informed that all these cases involved the late reporting of donations to the Commission. The late reporting of donations by regulated donees is a criminal offence, so the Commission always considers whether such a matter should be referred to the police. The Commission decided to refer one of the cases arising in 2008 to the police.
	The Commission further informs me that during 2008 this work was conducted by the Commission's Enforcement Team (Casework) which consists of a team manager, an investigator and two caseworkers. This team also deals with enforcement issues relating to all other categories of regulated entities under PPERA, and the administration of Policy Development Grants.

Representation of the People Act 1983

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Beckenham of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 84W, on the Representation of the People Act 1983, what consideration the Commission has given to issuing its guidance in the form of codes of practice under paragraph 14 of schedule 4A of the 1983 Act.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it believes that issuing guidance in the form of codes of practice would not provide a regulated entity with any additional assistance or certainty, beyond that provided by the Commission's current guidance.
	The Commission also informs me that the procedure for producing codes of practice requires that the Secretary of State approves the draft and may amend the draft before it is laid before Parliament. The Commission is concerned that this requirement would reduce its ability to update the guidance on a timely basis.
	The Commission has not received any representations from regulated entities seeking the production of a code of practice.

OLYMPICS

Departmental Lost Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what  (a) equipment and  (b) data were lost by her Office in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: No equipment was lost by my office in the last 12 months.
	My office, in accordance with Cabinet Office guidance, did not report any personal data-related incidents for the period 2007-08.

Olympic Games 2012: Consultants

Don Foster: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what consultancy contracts have been issued in relation to the 2012 Olympics in each year since 2004; and what the  (a) value of contract,  (b) purpose of contract and  (c) contractor was in each case.

Tessa Jowell: The following tables show information on consultancy contracts issued by the Government Olympic Executive (GOE), the now disbanded Olympic Programme Support Unit (OPSU) and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), in relation to the 2012 Olympics in each financial year since 2004.
	These costs reflect the process of preparing the bid, establishing and building up the requisite high level commercial and financial capacity in these organisations, while ensuring that key delivery milestones are, and continue to be, achieved across the programme. For example, this expert advice has helped us to:
	Undertake detailed work to deliver the funding package for the Games just 21 months from bid win, well ahead of any other Games;
	Begin construction on the Olympic Stadium over 2 months ahead of schedule.
	 Government Olympic Executive (GOE)
	The GOE information on consultancy contracts gives the value of contracts issued as at August 2008.
	
		
			  Contracts issued  2004-05 to 2008-09 
			  Supplier  Task  Value (£) including VAT 
			  2004-05   
			 Partnerships UK Bid preparation 33,000 
			 Partnerships UK Legacy Proposals 21,131 
			 PWC Bid preparation 182,000 
			
			  2005-06   
			 Accenture Preparation, facilitation for, and write up of cross-departmental workshop 29,328 
			 Central Office of Information Advertising for Chief Executive 60,609 
			 Hays Assessment of the terms and conditions of the ODA Chief Executive 10,340 
			 KPMG Post bid-win Olympics Cost Review 1,190,000 
			 Odgers, Ray and Berndtson Recruitment 25,876 
			 Rockpools Recruitment 72,850 
			
			  2006-07   
			 Judith Riley Ltd. Workshop facilitation 6,627 
			 CABE Feasibility Study for Architecture and Built Environment Centre in Park 20,000 
			 PWC 5 Boroughs Deprivation Study 23,289 
			 Stanton Marris Change management of GOE 16,616 
			
			  2007-08   
			 20:20 Delivery Governance and delivery planning 75,460 
			 PWC Development of the Evaluation Framework 73,320 
			 Deloitte Review of the Olympic Programme Support Unit (OPSU) (Part 2) and provision of advice on the transfer of OPSU functions to GOE 187,801 
			 Giles Emerson Contribution to the Legacy Promises Document 4,418 
			 TFG International Provision of Best Practice advice from the Sydney Olympic and Paralympic Games 44,146 
			 Sarah Hunter Scoping of Community Engagement Project 800 
			 Odgers, Ray and Berndtson Recruitment 179,126 
			 Central Office of Information Organisation of "Ask the Team" events 70,113 
			 Central Office of Information Olympics Legacy Research 121,409 
			
			  2008-09   
			 Deloitte Facilitation of GOE workshop 3,402 
			 Sports Recruitment International Recruitment 34,158 
			 Stanton Marris Facilitation of GOE workshop 7,270 
			 Decision Analysis Services Implementation of NAO recommendations on Olympic programme risk management 9,183 
		
	
	 Olympic Programme Support Unit (OPSU)—disbanded in September 2007, after which functions were absorbed into GOE
	
		
			  Contracts issued  2005-06 to 2007-08 
			  Supplier  Task  Value (£) including VAT 
			  2005-06   
			 Accenture Establishment, and interim operation of OPSU 881,937 
			
			  2006-07   
			 Ann Kennedy Staff training 2,700 
			 Moorhouse Consulting Ltd Staff training 2,600 
			 PTP Associates Staff training 9,043 
			 PWC Development of Olympic Sustainability Strategy 94,000 
			
			  2007-08   
			 Deloitte Review of OPSU (Part 1) 31,107 
			 Forum for the Future Staff training 16,770 
			 Turner and Townsend Programme Management Support 87,859 
		
	
	 Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA)
	In my previous answer to the hon. Member for Faversham and Mid-Kent (Hugh Robertson) on 16 October 2007,  Official Report, column 977W, I stated that the ODA had spent some £50 million on consultancy as at 9 July 2007. However, the ODA have since advised me that the information they provided for that answer included the cost of contracts and or elements of contracts that were not strictly consultancy services and therefore should not have been included in the figures provided in my reply. The amended figures for the periods are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2006-07 13,676,095.21 
			 2007-08 (up to 9 July) 1,155,508.00 
		
	
	For accuracy, the non-consultancy elements, that should not have been included in the figures provided in my reply, have been taken out of the information provided in the following table.
	The following table provides information on ODA consultancy spend to July 2008, not the value of contracts. I am unable to give details of the total value of the ODA consultancy contracts at this stage, as this could compromise the ODA's commercial negotiating position and lead to an increase in cost.
	
		
			  Contracts issued  2005-06 to 2007-08 
			  Supplier  Task  V alue of ODA consultancy spend  as at July 2008 (£) 
			  2005-06   
			 Aon Limited Operational services—pension advisory services 5,048,182 
			 EC Harris LLP Transport advice 1,532,728 
			 Ernst and Young LLP Provision of financial advisory services and interim staff to the ODA, prior to the recruitment of permanent ODA finance staff 8,344,509 
			 John Rowan and Partners LLP Procurement advice 122,414 
			 OGC Procurement advice 379,296 
			 Rockpools Recruitment 5,257,036 
			
			  2006-07   
			 Augmentis Integrated Services Limited Procurement policy and development of operating procedures 174,036 
			 Bentley Systems IT/software 43,398 
			 Bravo Solution UK Ltd e-sourcing services 1,587,324 
			 Business Systems Group Limited IT goods and services (data network and telephony) 193,141 
			 Capgemini UK PLC Project management support 676,941 
			 Cedar Open Accounts Limited Finance open accounts system 2,115 
			 COA Solutions Ltd Annual maintenance and access licensing for Cedar Open Accounts 84,770 
			 Computer People IT services 263,548 
			 Cornwell Management Consultants plc Data and records management services 31,548 
			 Elstree Computing Limited Quality Management Services (Transport) 97,579 
			 ES Group Ltd Event support 3,525 
			 Eminence Grise Consultancy Organisational services 34,639 
			 Eurodata Systems plc IT goods and services 808,279 
			 Future Inclusion Limited Transport: Access Audit—Olympic Transport Plan 3,525 
			 Hedra plc Procurement advice 2,630,542 
			 Intelligent Risk Pty Ltd Security advice 233,092 
			 Jago Consultancy Transport consultancy 37,021 
			 Jobs Go Public Limited Recruitment 66,423 
			 John Donoghue Associates Industrial Relations consultancy. 5,805 
			 KPMG LLP Financial advice 1,581,764 
			 Matura Limited Health, safety and environmental advice 11,586 
			 Norman Broadbent Equalities and diversity 505,298 
			 Norwich Union Financial advice 62,698 
			 Pan-Leisure Consulting Limited Velopark advice 52,581 
			 Parsons Brinckerhoff Ltd Sustainability advice 365,309 
			 Longwood Associates Ltd Industrial relations 38,682 
			 Pringle Brandon LLP Office configuration 12,288 
			 Quo Imus Ltd Transport advice 1,125,614 
			 Rullion Computer Personnel Ltd IT provision 276,642 
			 SpencerMayes Office configuration of Planning Decision Teams' office 3,576 
			 Steer Davies Gleave Transport advice 955,414 
			 Turner & Townsend Ltd Procurement advice 2,013,870 
			 Welcom Software Technology International Total IT consultancy 37,001 
			
			  2007-08   
			 WS Atkins Engineering, design, and infrastructure consultancy 13,583 
			 Ove Arup and Partners Limited Design, transport, and infrastructure consultancy 377,253 
			 Backhouse Jones Solicitors Legal advice 2,703 
			 Bond International Software (UK) Ltd IT/software 22,055 
			 Booz Allen Hamilton Ltd Transport security advice 41,125 
			 Capita Symonds Project management support 107,518 
			 Davis Langdon LLP Project Management support 4,175 
			 Faber Maunsell Ltd Transport advice 16,330 
			 Fujitsu Services Limited Back office systems and services 4,051,344 
			 Grant Thornton UK LLP Financial advice 261,244 
			 Jane Cowmeadow Communications and Management Event support 5,922 
			 Ottaway Strategic Management Ltd Equalities and diversity evaluation 15,975 
			 Segens Solicitors Legal advice 2,650 
			 T-Three Consulting Ltd Human resources 18,140 
			 Deltek UK Ltd On-site consultancy services 23,232

Plain English

David Davies: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many documents produced by the Government Office for the Olympics have been submitted to the Plain English Campaign for approval for Crystal Mark status in each year since 2005; and how many documents achieved such status in each year.

Tessa Jowell: No documents have been submitted for approval for Crystal Mark status.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Training

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what personal training courses at public expense he has undertaken since his appointment.

Shaun Woodward: None.

Parades Commission: Public Relations

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what public relations companies are contracted to the Northern Ireland Parades Commission to provide a media handling service; and how much they were paid in each year since 2004-05.

Paul Goggins: This is an operational matter for the Parades Commission. I have asked the Parades Commission secretary to reply to the hon. Member directly, and will arrange for a copy of the letter to be placed in the Library of the House and the  Official Report.

Police Service of Northern Ireland: Homosexuality

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of whether institutionalised homophobia exists within the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: The PSNI equality and diversity unit is responsible for monitoring incidences of recorded bullying and harassment on the grounds of homophobic behaviour. From 1 January 2005 to 22 October 2008 there have been four cases raised by three individuals.
	The PSNI does not believe that there is any evidence to support a view that it is institutionally homophobic.

Young Offenders

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of residents in young offender centres in Northern Ireland had been diagnosed with addictions in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: Since October 2005, on committal, young offenders are asked if they are dependent on any substance and the following table details the number of young offenders recording a dependency for each of the previous three years.
	
		
			   October  to  September  each year 
			  Category of substance  2005 - 06  2006 - 07  2007- 08 
			 Alcohol 24 23 21 
			 Cannabis 6 2 4 
			 Ecstasy 0 1 0 
			 Heroin 1 1 3 
			 Prescription drugs 2 0 1 
			 Solvents 1 0 0 
			 Other substances 1 0 0 
		
	
	Lead responsibility for the provision of addiction services for prisoners in Northern Ireland was transferred to the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety on 1 October 2008. I have, therefore, copied your question and my response to Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many enemy combatants have been captured by UK forces during operations in Afghanistan in each month of the last two years.

John Hutton: I have nothing to add to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member on 14 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1016W.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the ratio is of  (a) British combat armed personnel to UK Chinook helicopters deployed in Afghanistan,  (b) British combat armed personnel to UK Apache helicopters deployed in Afghanistan and  (c) UK Apache helicopters to UK Chinook helicopters deployed in Afghanistan.

John Hutton: The ratio of UK Apache helicopters to UK Chinook helicopters deployed in Afghanistan is approximately 1:1.
	I am withholding information regarding the ratios of UK deployed personnel and Chinook and Apache helicopters as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness and security of the armed forces.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Afghanistan.

John Hutton: Afghanistan continues to present significant security challenges, particularly, in the south and east of the country where the Taliban continue to use intimidation and violence against the local population. In Helmand, progress has been made along the Helmand river valley and we are expanding control with the Afghan Security Forces taking an ever more active role.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many studies his Department has  (a) initiated and  (b) completed on the lessons learned for his Department from the war in Afghanistan; and if he will place a copy of each completed study in the Library.

John Hutton: The Department continually studies every aspect of our continuing operations in Afghanistan to identify and learn lessons in order to improve our operational capability. This work contains sensitive information and is therefore being withheld as its release would or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness and security of our armed forces. The Department does routinely engage with the Defence and Foreign Affairs Committees on such matters as lessons learned from operations, and these reports are already widely available in the public domain.

Armed Forces: Coroners

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what circumstances his officials may decide the conclusions of a Board of Inquiry into a fatal incident are unsafe; what steps he is required to take to inform the coroner before or after an inquest has been held; by what procedures he may instruct the president of a board of inquiry to consider new evidence; and by what procedures a bereaved family may challenge the findings or recommendations of a board of inquiry.

Bob Ainsworth: Each board of inquiry's (BOI) provisional report is submitted to the relevant convening/reviewing authority for approval before the report is declared final. In considering the provisional report, the convening/reviewing authority may require the board to undertake further work because fresh evidence has come to light, because some evidence available to the BOI has been omitted, or because some relevant aspect has not been covered adequately and therefore the BOI has not met its terms of reference. Following completion of further work a revised provisional report must be submitted to the convening/reviewing authority for further consideration. This process may be undertaken as often as necessary to ensure the BOI has met its terms of reference. Where further work is required, the convening/reviewing authority should give specific instructions in writing to the BOI. Where it is considered that the BOI has met its terms of reference and no further work is required, the convening/reviewing authority makes its comments on the report and declares the provisional report as the final report and it notifies the president of the BOI that the inquiry has concluded and that the board is released from its duty. A copy of the final report is then made available to both the coroner and the next of kin if they wish to receive it.
	Some coroners await the completion of the BOI report before they hold the inquest, although there is no requirement for any coroner to do so and, indeed, some choose not to. Where the coroner chooses to await the completion of a BOI before holding the inquest, the coroner is provided only with a copy of the final BOI report. Where a BOI is completed after the inquest is held there is no requirement to inform the coroner of its findings.
	Where a BOI is held into the circumstances surrounding a death the MOD recognises that the bereaved families of Service personnel will have an interest in its conclusions and our policy is that we offer a personal briefing and a copy of the BOI report to the next of kin. Where the family wishes subsequently to question any aspect of the BOI they may do so in a number of ways: during the briefing given to them on the board's findings, conclusions and recommendations; through their Visiting Officer; by contacting the relevant single Service authority using the details provided with their copy of the BOI report; through their Member of Parliament; or by contacting the Ministry of Defence in writing by letter or email using the Ministry of Defence website.
	Should new information come to light after the completion of the final report which the convening authority judges to cast doubt on the conclusions of the BOI, a new inquiry may be convened to review the findings in light of the new information.

Armed Forces: Coroners

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the statement of 7 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 26-8WS, on improved support for families, what response he has received from the Scottish Executive on whether provision could be made for inquiries into the deaths abroad of service personnel to take place in Scotland.

Bob Ainsworth: No reply has yet been received from the Scottish Executive to the letter sent by my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State, to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Communities (Mr. MacAskill MSP) on 27 March 2008.

Armed Forces: Death

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of Joint Service Publication 751 dealing with the return of possessions to the bereaved families of service personnel.

Bob Ainsworth: A updated copy of JSP 751 will be placed in the Library of the House; chapter 12 of this document outlines the procedure to be followed for the return of personnel effects following the death of a service person.

Armed Forces: Death

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance is given to members of the armed forces on their choice of notified next of kin; what opportunities there are to revise and update named individuals according to circumstances; and what provision is made for the designation of other individuals to be notified in the event of death in service.

Bob Ainsworth: The definitions and guidance for nominations of next of kin (NoK) and emergency contacts (EC) are laid out in annex A to chapter 1 of Joint Service Publication 751. All service personnel are fully briefed during training on the importance keeping details of their NoK/EC up to date, and update briefs are delivered prior to deployment. Service personnel are required to record their NoK and EC details via the self-service facility on the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system. They can also telephone the JPA Centre (JPAC) inquiry centre where an operator will update their records for them whenever the requirement arises. Individuals can nominate a number of ECs who will be informed, in addition to the NoK, in the event of death.

Armed Forces: Intimidation

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the result was of the review of monitoring arrangements of the extent of bullying in the armed forces referred to in paragraph 75 of the Government's response to the third report from the Defence Committee of Session 2004-05, on duty of care, Cm. 6620; and what steps he has taken to reduce under-reporting of bullying.

Bob Ainsworth: In 2006 the Joint Service Publication (JSP) 763 'The MOD Harassment Complaints Procedures' was issued. This provides guidance to all MOD Service and civilian personnel about making, responding to, advising on, investigating, and deciding on, complaints of harassment and bullying.
	Reporting of incidents of bullying and harassment improved following the issue of JSP 763. Annex P to JSP 763 describes how logs are to be kept recording all complaints (formal and informal) reported through unit equality and diversity advisors. Statistics from the logs are consolidated at single Service level biannually and subsequently analysed on a tri-Service basis to identify trends and lessons learned.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes have been made to the standard pre-recruitment information pack for the armed forces following the review conducted in 2007; what information is available to parents of recruits on access to the Service Complaints Commissioner; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the information pack.

Bob Ainsworth: Information about the role of the Service Complaints Commissioner (SCC) is communicated through a number of means. Joint Service Publication 831 Service Complaints (Redress of Individual Grievance) sets out the policy and process for making and handling Service complaints, and includes a chapter on the role of the SCC. This is available on the Defence intranet and www.mod.uk to all serving personnel. A booklet covering the main points of the complaints process, with a leaflet explaining the role of the SCC has been issued for distribution to all Service establishments. A team profile is under development on the Defence intranet to make information relating to Service complaints available electronically. This profile will also provide a link to the SCC's website. The SCC has visited establishments of all three Services, and continues to do so regularly, to meet serving personnel and the chain of command to raise awareness of her role.
	There is no standard tri-Service pre-recruitment pack and the three Services have different approaches to providing information to recruits about how to make complaints in confidence:
	 Navy
	During Phase 1 training Royal Navy and Royal Marine Rating and Other Ranks recruits at each establishment are briefed on both equality and diversity related complaints and Service complaints generally.
	 Army
	All recruits and trainees receive briefings that inform them of the function of the complaints procedures and the various channels which are available to raise a complaint. These include: the chain of command, Women's Royal Voluntary Service, the Padre, the Unit Welfare Officer, a Medical Officer and the confidential Support Line.
	This is currently in the process of being reinforced by the inclusion of detail covering the role of the SCC in the "Army Recruiting and Training Division Code of Conduct and Behaviour for Recruits," leaflet and the Recruiting Group publication, "A Guide for Guardians and Parents". With the Commissioner's agreement, a paragraph outlining her role will be included in letters sent to parents.
	 RAF
	There are two training establishments for the RAF, Cranwell and Halton.
	At RAF Cranwell, the Officer and Aircrew Cadet Training Unit is responsible for conducting the initial training of all officers and non-commissioned aircrew.
	Since January 2008, all cadets at RAF Cranwell have been briefed during their first week of training on the role and contact details of the SCC.
	At RAF Halton, comprehensive measures are in place to ensure that new recruits are aware of the complaints procedures. These include two 45-minute briefings on the RAF's Equality and Diversity Policy, and the distribution of a booklet entitled "Combating Bullying and Harassment in the Royal Air Force" to all recruits. The issue is also addressed in the Station Commander's Supervisory Care Directive, which is mandatory reading by all instructors at RAF Halton and is available to all recruits.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set a date on which the minimum age for the voluntary recruitment of persons into Her Majesty's Armed Services will be raised in accordance with the terms of the United Nations Optional Protocol on the Rights of Children in Armed Conflict.

Bob Ainsworth: The minimum age for entry to the UK armed forces is 16, which reflects the normal minimum school leaving age. All recruitment to the UK armed forces is voluntary and recruitment of those aged under 18 requires parental consent. The Government made clear in their interpretive declaration when ratifying the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict that the armed forces would continue to recruit from age 16, but made a clear commitment to take all feasible measures to ensure that those who had not yet reached the age of 18-years-old did not take a direct part in hostilities. The Government remain committed to meeting their obligations under the protocol and there are no plans to change the interpretive declaration.

Armed Forces: Training

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of mandatory senior officers' equality and diversity seminars at the Joint Equality and Diversity Training Centre, Shrivenham; and if he will commission an independent evaluation of the programme.

Bob Ainsworth: The Senior Officers' Seminar is always well attended and is highly valued by those that participate in it. There has been no formal external evaluation of the seminar and there are no plans at present to commission one.

Armed Forces: Training

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the terms of reference for the oversight of the defence training estate by Ofsted are; and what remit inspectors have to  (a) monitor and  (b) report on measures to address bullying, harassment and ill-treatment.

Bob Ainsworth: The terms of reference for Ofsted to inspect training are as follows: to determine the extent to which progress has been made in addressing issues of care, welfare and support for recruits and trainees during initial training including examination of the self assessment process. Ofsted will evaluate the effectiveness of the strategic and operational management of the care, welfare and support for recruits and trainees during initial training and use the Common Inspection Framework (the national framework for inspection of post 16 education and training) to comment on the standard of initial training.
	The terms of reference state that Ofsted should take account of the national care standards and safeguarding where relevant, make judgments on strengths and areas for development of initial training, visit training establishments, armed forces careers offices, acquaint and selection centres and service training headquarters and establishments identified as priorities. Under the terms of reference Ofsted meet MOD officials to provide feedback on inspection progress.
	Ofsted is currently undertaking inspections following up on work previously undertaken by the Adult Learning Inspectorate on issues of care and welfare, including treatment, bullying and harassment. Additionally, Ofsted will comment on what it has observed in respect of the recruit journey, from contact with the armed forces careers office to phase 1 training. Ofsted will report its inspection findings in spring 2009.

Armed Forces: Young People

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the timescale is for review of the guidance note for commanding officers dealing with the care and management of under-18s in HM Armed Services; and if he will place a copy of the most recent edition of the guidance note in the Library.

Bob Ainsworth: The guidance note for commanding officers who are responsible for the care and management of under-18s in HM armed forces is regularly reviewed and is updated when required following changes in legislation or Service policy. The current guidance note is being updated now to take into account changes in legislation regarding the selling of tobacco products to under-18s and the appointment of the Service Complaints Commissioner. The revised guidance note should be ready for publication shortly and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.

Army: Conditions of Employment

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the principal conclusions of the Army Duty of Care Audit in 2007 were; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report.

Bob Ainsworth: We are not aware of an Army Duty of Care Audit taking place in 2007.

Army: Resignations

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the drop-out rate was for recruits undergoing infantry training at Catterick barracks in  (a) 2002 and  (b) 2007.

Bob Ainsworth: The percentage of Infantry recruits who did not complete their infantry training at the Infantry Training Centre (ITC), Catterick is as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 2002-03 23.2 
			 2007-08 35.6 
		
	
	At the start of 2002-03 Infantry training was conducted as a phase one course at the Army Training Regiments (ATRs) followed by a 14-week phase two course at the Infantry Training Centre Catterick. During 2002-03 a new 24-week combined phase one and two course started at Catterick. So prior to the first full year of the combined course at 2003-04 some of the wastage would have already taken place at the ATRs and the wastage at Catterick reflected only the second part of the training. The figures for 2002-03 and 2007-08 therefore cannot be compared on a like-for-like basis.

Army: Self-mutilation

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the conclusions were of the 2005 Army-sponsored study on causal factors of self-harm; whether further studies were commissioned as a result of the study's findings; and if he will place a copy of the completed report in the Library.

Bob Ainsworth: A copy of the report, 'Prevention of Suicidal Behaviour Among Army Personnel: In-depth Interviews with Soldiers and Healthcare Providers', including the conclusions, will be placed in the Library of the House.
	No further studies were commissioned specifically as a result of this study's findings. However, much progress has been made since 2005 in supporting those who may be at risk of suicide or self-harm. In particular, a suicide vulnerability risk management policy has been put in place to assist in identifying potential suicide victims and provide a structure for support.

Army: Self-mutilation

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance is available to commanding officers in order to complete their quarterly reports required by Army headquarters; and what data are captured from these reports in order to improve understanding and protection against suicide and self-harm.

Bob Ainsworth: The Army guidance for Suicide Vulnerability Risk Management (SVRM) is contained within Army General Administrative Instruction (AGAI) Volume 3 chapter 110. This guidance assists commanding officers to identify and manage individuals deemed to be potentially vulnerable in order to put in place the relevant and most appropriate care package.
	Units are required to report twice a year via proforma, identifying numbers of incidents of bullying, self-harm and attempted suicide. This reporting helps to further the Army's understanding of risks and trends in order to develop preventative measures and policies.
	Once an individual is identified as vulnerable and placed on the SVRM Register, there is a requirement for formal assessments of the individual to take place every three months as part of the Care Assessment Plan (CAP). Guidance on the CAP and how to put it in place with relevant associated measures are described within the document referred to above.

Army: Suicide

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of  (a) the 15 March 2005 version of the Army Provost Manual offering guidance on suspected suicides and  (b) any subsequent revised guidance.

Bob Ainsworth: Section IX of Chapter 34 of the Provost Marshal (Army) Manual (Volume 5), which covers investigations into undetermined deaths, self-harm and attempted self-harm will be placed in the Library of the House. It was last revised on 15 March 2005 and is the extant version. There has been one Headquarters Provost Marshal (Army) policy note issued on this subject since then, which will also be placed in the Library of the House.

AWE Aldermaston

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects a pre-construction safety report to be submitted to the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate on the planned construction of a uranium enrichment facility at AWE Aldermaston.

Quentin Davies: There are no plans to build a uranium enrichment facility at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE). Nor has the process of uranium enrichment ever been undertaken at AWE Aldermaston.
	AWE currently has the capability to store, cast, machine and recycle enriched uranium. These capabilities are required for the foreseeable future, not only for use in Trident warheads, but also for submarine reactor fuel. Operation of these facilities is licensed by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate. In order to provide this capability into the future, the best value for money option is to build a replacement uranium handling facility. The proposed replacement handling facility programme is in the assessment phase. If this handling facility proceeds to construction, the requisite safety reports will be submitted to meet regulatory requirements.

AWE Burghfield: Planning Permission

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2008,  Official Report, column 447W, on AWE Burghfield: planning permission, what the reasons are for the revisions to the timetable for submitting planning applications for new development at Atomic Weapons Establishment sites.

Quentin Davies: The overall planning programme remains within the 2005 to 2015 period identified within the AWE Sites Development Context Plan. Some changes within the projected planning submission programme have occurred, reflecting the need to address technical issues and a reordering of priority in some cases. Such changes are to be expected in a complex capital facilities programme.

AWE Management: Emergencies

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the Royal Berkshire Hospital last took part in a Level 1 emergency exercise for an Atomic Weapons Establishment site; and when the hospital is next scheduled to participate in such an exercise.

Quentin Davies: The Royal Berkshire Hospital plays an important role in emergency planning for Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) sites and is routinely invited to participate in Level 1 emergency exercises. The hospital last took part in a Level 1 emergency exercise for an AWE site on 30 September 2003. AWE supported an exercise at the hospital involving simulated management and treatment of radioactively contaminated casualties in October 2006. The next Level 1 exercises are planned for late spring (Aldermaston) and autumn (Burghfield) 2009; precise dates have yet to be finalised with the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate.

AWE Management: Floods

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent estimate is of the costs arising from the July 2007 flooding at the Atomic Weapons Establishment sites.

Quentin Davies: As I indicated in the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Davies) on 29 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1029W, the costs, to the extent that they are not covered by commercial insurance, are still the subject of commercial discussions between the MOD and AWE plc.

AWE Management: Safety

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what procedures are in place to monitor AWE Management Ltd's retention of a nuclear baseline which demonstrates that its organisational structures, staffing and competences remain sufficient to maintain nuclear safety at the Atomic Weapons Establishment sites operated by the company.

Quentin Davies: In common with civil nuclear operators, the Atomic Weapons Establishment sites are licensed by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) and are required to comply with 36 licence conditions. Licence condition 36 requires that any changes to the nuclear baseline organisation for managing safety is monitored, assessed and categorised in terms of its impact on nuclear safety management in order to gain appropriate regulatory approval. The NII monitors AWE compliance against its licence conditions through inspection of processes and procedures.

AWE Management: Standards

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether AWE plc has complied with the improvement notice served by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate of the Health and Safety Executive on 3 April 2008 in respect of criticality documentation shortfalls.

Quentin Davies: The improvement notice issued to AWE plc. by the nuclear installations inspectorate (NII) on 3 April 2008 was served following an investigation into breaches of criticality operating rules at Aldermaston. The notice referred to the need for procedural guidance to have greater clarity. Improvements were sought in respect of the company's arrangements and processes for complying with licence conditions covering operating rules and operating instructions.
	AWE plc. has agreed an implementation plan with the NII to meet the aforementioned, which requires the company to complete the necessary improvements by 19 January 2009. The NII has indicated that it is content with AWE plc.'s progress and that at no time were there any immediate operational risks from a criticality event.

Ballistic Missiles

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will undertake research into the merits of a United Kingdom conventional intercontinental ballistic missile programme  (a) unilaterally and  (b) jointly with the US.

John Hutton: We have no such plans.

Defence Information Infrastructure Programme

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost has been of the Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) programme to date; what assessment he has made of the reasons for the time taken by the programme; what estimate he has made of the cost of these delays; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: The NAO Report published 4 July 2008 presented the cost of the Defence Information Infrastructure (DII) Programme as £1.422 billion to 31 March 2008, with an additional £306 million spent on related programmes. As at 30 September 2008, the spend on DII now stands at £1.702 billion, with £372 million for related programmes.
	The reasons for the time taken to deliver elements of the programme are set out in the NAO Report, which my Department has agreed.
	The cost of the delays incurred up until the end of financial year 2007-08 have added an estimated £182 million cost to the programme over and above the original estimate, across the 10 years of the programme.

Departmental Information and Communications Technology

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects a design solution to be available under the Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) programme for the Falkland Islands; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: Overseas site solutions are designed to meet individual technical, physical, environmental, communications requirements and circumstances at each location. These necessarily take time to develop. The Defence Information Infrastructure (DII) programme has delivered infrastructure to support the implementation of the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) application in the Falkland Islands and is currently developing the DII (Future) overseas solution, which should mature during 2009.

Departmental Information and Communications Technology

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the reasons are for the time taken to  (a) design and  (b) implement an effective encryption mechanism under the Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) programme; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The programme is already successfully delivering fully encrypted DII(F) laptops to personnel at various sites.
	The time taken to design and implement an effective encryption mechanism for other removable devices and media under the Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) (DII(F)) programme is driven by the need to ensure the designs themselves are robust and capable of countering known and projected threats to the Department's information assets as well as operating correctly when connected to the DII(F) core infrastructure. Devices and their encryption mechanisms must be thoroughly tested and accredited to meet national governmental security standards before they can be deployed.

Departmental Information and Communications Technology

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the completion of an overseas design solution for the Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) programme; what the reasons are for the time taken; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: Germany is the major overseas site and at this time some 5,500 Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) DII(F) terminals have been successfully delivered there. Solutions for other overseas sites must be designed to meet technical, physical, environmental, communications requirements and circumstances at these sites, which necessarily take time to deliver. These solutions are expected to mature progressively during 2009.

Departmental Visits

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to the public purse has been of visits by the Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) project programme to  (a) Belize,  (b) the Falkland Islands,  (c) Germany,  (d) Kathmandu,  (e) Naples and  (f) other overseas sites; if he will place in the Library the itinerary of each of these visits, detailing who was present, for how long the visit took place, and what progress was achieved as a consequence of each visit; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Gurkhas: Females

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on allowing women to join the Gurkhas.

Kevan Jones: Following the recommendation of the 2007 review of Gurkha Terms and Conditions of Service, the intention that Nepalese women should, in due course, be recruited into the Brigade of Gurkhas in the Corps unit—Engineers, Signals and Logistics—was announced on 8 March 2007. Since then work has been done to test the recruitment, selection and training processes, and to identify options for the way ahead. This work is due to be considered by the Army Board early next year.

Information Warfare

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent representations he has made to NATO with respect to cyber defence.

Bob Ainsworth: The Secretary of State for Defence has made no recent representations to NATO with respect to cyber defence. The UK MOD is represented at various NATO Cyber Defence symposiums and workshops throughout the year. These meetings include the annual NATO Information Assurance Symposium and the two NATO Cyber Defence Workshops that are held bi-annually.

Information Warfare

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what definition his Department uses of  (a) cyber terrorism and  (b) cyber warfare; and what assessment he has made of the cyber threats posed to the UK.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 27 October 2008
	Although we do not have specific definitions for the term cyber terrorism and cyber warfare, we have produced assessments and developed policies in specific areas related to this terminology.
	The MOD works in close co-operation with those Government Departments and agencies engaged in assessing threats to the UK. The classification of these assessments prohibits disclosure of their content.

Information Warfare

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contribution his Department has made to the development of  (a) the NATO Cyber Defence legal framework and  (b) the cyber security doctrine and strategy.

Bob Ainsworth: The information is as follows:
	 (a) NATO does not currently have a Cyber Defence legal framework although they plan to have in the future. The scope and contents of this framework are to be discussed by the NATO Cyber Defence management board meeting this week. The MOD will assist in the development of this document through its drafting process.
	 (b) The NATO Cyber Defence Policy and the Cyber Defence Concept were approved by the North Atlantic Council (NAC) earlier this year. The NATO Cyber Defence Management Authority (CDMA) was given approval by the NAC in March 2008 and the Concept of Operations for the CDMA are to be approved in this month. The MOD assisted in the development of these documents through their drafting process to final version.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 27 October 2008,  Official Report, column 635W, on Iraq: peacekeeping operations, 
	(1)  what issues were covered in the discussions with Jaish-al-Mahdi;
	(2)  what the outcome was of the discussions between UK forces and Jaish-al-Mahdi;
	(3)  with which organisations discussions were held;
	(4)  when the discussions between the armed forces and Jaish-al-Mahdi  (a) began and  (b) were completed; and what the dates were of meetings.

John Hutton: holding answer 3 November 2008
	Discussions with senior figures in Jaish-al-Mahdi in Basra commenced in the summer of 2007 and continued until the end of the year. In a similar manner to other dialogue between the coalition, the Government of Iraq and militia groups, these discussions covered a wide range of issues, including the local security situation, future economic and redevelopment plans and the future role of militia groups within a democratic Iraq. The benefits of this strategy were demonstrated by the fact that on 4 December 2007 all the major parties in Basra—including the Sadrists—signed a document that committed them to supporting the rule of law in the city and the Iraqi Security Forces as its guardian. Across Iraq, dialogue between the coalition, the Government of Iraq and militia groups continues.

Lynx Helicopters: Procurement

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has received proposals to expedite progress on Future Lynx.

Quentin Davies: holding answer 30 October 2008
	The Future Lynx programme remains on schedule to achieve an in-service date of 2014 (for the Army's Battlefield Reconnaissance helicopter) and 2015 (for the Navy's Surface Combatant Maritime Rotorcraft).
	We continue to work closely with AgustaWestland to identify and explore opportunities to improve speed of delivery, reduce costs and increase operational availability and the contract includes mechanisms to incentivise this process. We are not, however, presently exploring specific opportunities to significantly advance the above dates.

Military Aircraft

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) aircraft and  (b) helicopters his Department has leased from commercial contractors in each year since 2003; and what the total cost in each year was.

Quentin Davies: The number of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters leased in each year since 2003 was as follows:
	
		
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Training Aircraft 118 125 125 125 125 
			 C-17 Globemaster 4 4 4 4 4 
			 Helicopters 65 66 66 64 63 
		
	
	The figures for helicopters correct the answer given to the hon. Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey) on 29 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 2014-15W.
	Aircraft leasing costs are not identifiable uniquely from other associated costs, as they may form part of Multi-Activity Contracts which include flying hours, engineering support, simulator hours and in some cases civilian flying instructors and station/airfield support. On this basis, the overall costs for each financial year, were as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Training Aircraft 14.4 19.1 20.2 20.5 21.8 
			 Helicopters 44 48 49 50 51 
		
	
	The four C-17 aircraft were leased between 2001 and June 2008, after which the leases were ended. As each lease has ended, the last concluding in September 2008, MOD has taken ownership of the aircraft. In accordance with the contractual agreement I am withholding the in-year costs. However, the cost of the lease and support package for a seven-year contract between 2001 and 2008 was £769 million.

Military Aircraft: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many training flying hours crews of the  (a) Hercules C-130,  (b) Tristar,  (c) VC-10 and  (d) C-17 Globemaster aircraft flew on average in each year since 2001.

Bob Ainsworth: I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Substantive answer from Bob Ainsworth to Liam Fox:
	I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question on 27 October, (Official Report, column 639W) about training flying hours.
	The majority of flying training is achieved during routine flying hours and all flying tasks include an element of aircrew training, therefore it is not possible to show average flying training hours separately. The average number of flying hours per year per crew since 2003 for the categories of aircraft requested are detailed in the table below. Average flying hours per year per crew are not available before 2003. All figures in the table have been rounded to the nearest five:
	
		
			  Financial year  Hercules C-130  TriStar  VC-10  C-17 Globemaster  Average flying hours per crew 
			 2003-04 435 600 485 550 520 
			 2004-05 410 435 360 595 450 
			 2005-06 375 385 470 570 450 
			 2006-07 340 380 420 445 395 
			 2007-08 305 410 390 435 385

NATO

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of performance under the NATO transformation agenda.

John Hutton: NATO has come a long way in recognising the importance of expeditionary capabilities in dealing with the broad range of security threats the alliance is likely to face. It continues to make progress, but not as quickly as we—and others—would like. The alliance needs to do more to provide the capabilities it needs for current and future operations, such as strategic and intra-theatre lift and contributions to the NATO Response Force. The UK and other allies have sought to find innovative ways of developing such capabilities through initiatives to make more helicopters and strategic lift available for operations, but ultimately these capabilities depend on sufficient investment by allies in defence, and prioritisation on the capabilities the alliance needs most. NATO Defence Ministers met in London in September to inject more dynamism into this transformation process. NATO's agreement in Budapest the following month to increase targets for the deployability of allies' land forces is a welcome step in the right direction.

Nuclear Weapons

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a redacted copy of JSP 440 Supplement 1: The Defence Manual of Security, Directive for the Security of Nuclear Weapons and Special Nuclear Materials.

Quentin Davies: I am withholding Supplement 1 of JSP 440 on the security of nuclear weapons and special nuclear materials in the interests of national security.

Nuclear Weapons: Transport

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria the nuclear weapons convoy group has to meet to pass the annual nuclear standardisation test.

Quentin Davies: Joint Service Publication (JSP) 471, Defence Nuclear Accident Response, and JSP 538, Regulation of the Nuclear Weapon Programme, require exercises to be conducted to demonstrate Nuclear Accident Response capabilities. The Defence Nuclear Weapon Regulator assesses nuclear weapon transport accident response exercises in accordance with the criteria in JSP 471 and JSP 538, including the Nuclear Accident Response Organisation Standardisation Test.
	An unclassified version of JSP 471 is available from the MOD website at:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/HealthandSafetyPublications/JSP471
	A redacted copy of JSP 538 is available in the House of Commons Library.

Nuclear Weapons: Transport

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance his Department has issued on the conduct of risk assessments of potential routes for nuclear warhead convoys; and what factors are taken into account in such assessments.

Quentin Davies: Guidance on the selection of nuclear weapon convoy routes is set out in Joint Services Publication 483, Nuclear Weapon Logistic Movement and Associated Nuclear Accident Response. Factors in the assessment of routes include the type of road, its surroundings and its proximity to hazards. All potential routes for nuclear warhead convoys are assessed by a qualified team to ensure the safety and security of the operation and the public.

RAF Welford

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a Ministry of Defence Police complement is stationed at RAF Welford.

Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence Police currently have an interim complement at RAF Welford.

Trident Missiles

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a design review of the Trident nuclear warhead has taken place in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: No. As part of a comprehensive programme of routine safety monitoring procedures, a formal design review of the Trident Re-entry System is undertaken approximately every seven years. The last such review was undertaken in 2006.

USA: Nuclear Weapons

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the purpose of the Enhanced Collaborations projects between the UK and the US in support of the nuclear weapons programme is; which projects  (a) have been and  (b) are being undertaken; and when each project started.

John Hutton: The enhanced collaborations form part of the technical exchanges between the United Kingdom and the United States of America conducted under the auspices of the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement, which support the UK's nuclear stockpile stewardship programme and contribute to the ongoing review of warhead options announced in the 2006 White Paper—The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent (Cmd 6994). As was made clear in the White Paper, decisions on whether and how we may need to refurbish or replace our current warheads are likely to be made in the next Parliament and to inform these decisions we are undertaking a detailed review of the optimum life of the existing warhead stockpile and analysing the options that may be available.
	In the interests of national security I am not prepared to discuss the detailed nature of these enhanced collaborations which commenced following an exchange of letters between Prime Minister Blair and President George W. Bush in December 2006.

TREASURY

Banks: Correspondence

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will  (a) place in the Library and  (b) post on his Department's website copies of his Department's correspondence with (i) chief executives, (ii) chairmen and (iii) other executives of (A) British and (B) foreign banks which have received financial support from the public purse since July 2008.

Ian Pearson: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Coinage: Forgery

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many prosecutions were brought against forgers of £1 coins in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what guidance his Department and its agencies provide to consumers on how to identify whether a £1 pound coin is genuine or counterfeit;
	(3)  how many counterfeit £1 pound coins were removed from circulation in each of the last five years.

Angela Eagle: The Royal Mint includes information on ways that a counterfeit £1 coin might be identified on the 'Frequently Asked Questions' section of its website
	www.royalmint.gov.uk/.
	The following counterfeit £1 coins have been returned to the Royal Mint:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003-04 85,500 
			 2004-05 117,500 
			 2005-06 84,500 
			 2006-07 153,800 
			 2007-08 97,000 
		
	
	The Royal Mint does not hold central data regarding the number of prosecutions brought against forgers of £1 pound coins.
	The Metropolitan Police and the Serious Organised Crime Agency closed down an illicit Mint producing counterfeit £1 coins in December 2007. This resulted in a conviction and a sentence of five years imprisonment.

Corporation Tax

Stephen Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of private employers off-setting expenditure on training and trainee wages against their corporation tax liability.

Stephen Timms: Employers are allowed to deduct expenditure on training and trainee wages in computing their taxable profits. Estimates of the impact on corporation tax receipts are not available.

Departmental Television

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what premium Sky, digital terrestrial or cable television channels  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies subscribes to; and at what cost in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Angela Eagle: The following premium television channels were subscribed to in 2007-08:
	
		
			  £000 
			   Sky  Parliamentary TV  Select Committee TV 
			 HM Treasury(1) 21 2 40 
			 Debt Management Office 2 0 0 
			 (1) Sky subscription shared with the Office of Government Commerce 
		
	
	OGC.buyingsolutions do not subscribe to any premium television channels.

Drug Seizures

James Brokenshire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated monetary value of illicit drugs seized by HM Revenue and Customs was in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Eagle: The approximate values of illicit drugs seized by HM Customs and Excise and HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last 10 financial years are set out in the following table. Values for the financial years 1998-99 to 2004-05 inclusive relate to heroin and cocaine seizures only. HM Revenue and Customs central records do not hold information on the values of other drugs seized in those years.
	
		
			   £ million 
			  Financial year  Value of illicit drugs seized 
			 1998-99 346 
			 1999-2000 247 
			 2000-01 625 
			 2001-02 459 
			 2002-03 617 
			 2003-04 1,241 
			 2004-05 528 
			 2005-06 300 
			 2006-07 285 
			 2007-08 292

Excise Duties: Aviation

Ian Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what modelling has been undertaken in assessing the likely impact on the economic viability of the aviation industry of the introduction of aviation duty.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Gentlemen to the answer I gave to my hon. Friends, the Members for Manchester, Blackley (Graham Stringer) and for Derby, North (Mr. Laxton) and to the hon. Member for Manchester, Withington (Mr. Leech) on 27 October 2008,  Official Report, column 789-90W.

Excise Duties: Fuels

Richard Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the rate of duty to apply to waste- derived fuel oil from 1 November 2008 on the complete recovery of waste oil to produce product equivalent fuel;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1059, on excise duties: fuel oil, what considerations informed the Government's decision to  (a) apply to the EU for an extension of the derogation from the Energy Products Directive and  (b) apply a rate of 9.29 pence per litre to waste-derived fuel oil, rather than the 15 euros per 1,000 kilograms minimum required under the Energy Products Directive;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of  (a) the likely annual tax revenue from the application of hydrocarbon oil duty to waste-derived fuel and  (b) the likely annual administrative costs to the Government of the application of hydrocarbon oil duty to waste-derived fuel.

Angela Eagle: The Government have considered the effects of the rate of duty on the management of waste oil as a whole.
	In applying for a renewal of the derogation on waste oil reused as fuel the Government were concerned about the impact of ending the derogation at a time when the future of the waste oil market was uncertain due to the introduction of the EC waste incineration directive and review of the EC waste framework directive. Also that the benefits to be gained from ending the derogation would be disproportionate to the compliance and administrative costs involved.
	The UK is required to impose duty on waste oils reused as fuel and the duty rate to be applied is consistent with the relevant EU directive.
	Our assessment of the revenue and administrative cost implications is set out in the "Impact Assessment of the implementation of the Energy Products Directive (EPD) on the use of waste oils reused as fuel", published on 20 February 2008.

Financial Services: Curriculum

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with  (a) the Department of Children, Schools and Families and  (b) Ofsted on Ofsted's evaluation of financial education as part of the preparation of the Joint Financial Capability Action Plan.

Ian Pearson: Ensuring that children have access to a planned and coherent programme of personal finance education in school is key to raising levels of financial capability in the UK. Studies by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and Ofsted have shown that further support is required to improve the effectiveness of finance lessons in schools. The joint Government and FSA financial capability action plan, published in July, set out measures for supporting financial education through the Government's 'My Money' programme led by DCSF, which will help to embed financial capability into the curriculum, and the FSA's 'Learning Money Matters' programme. It also set out how financial education would be evaluated through a DCSF independent review and a further schools survey by the FSA.

HM Revenue and Customs: Correspondence

Ian Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) plans to respond to the letter of 9 July sent from the hon. Member for Eccles to its offices at 100 Parliament Street concerning a constituent; and for what reasons HMRC have not responded to the hon. Member's answerphone messages.

Stephen Timms: The acting chief executive officer replied to the hon. Member on 29 October 2008 and apologised for the delay.
	HMRC also very much regret the delay in replying to a message left by the hon. Member's office. HMRC have taken steps to ensure that such delays do not reoccur.

Landfill Tax

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether an impact assessment has been undertaken on the effects of the landfill tax escalator.

Angela Eagle: No impact assessment was undertaken on the effects of the landfill tax escalator. According to Government guidance, impact assessments are not required for changes to taxes or tax rates where there are no associated administrative costs or savings.

Low Incomes

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the guaranteed weekly income for working households of  (a) a single individual,  (b) a couple with no children,  (c) a couple with (i) one, (ii) two and (iii) three children and  (d) a single person with (A) one, (B) two and (C) three children was in (1) 1997 and (2) at the most recent date for which information is available.

Stephen Timms: Minimum income guarantees for in-work families have only existed since 1999, when they came into existence as a result of the introduction of the national minimum wage. Table 4.1 of the 2008 Budget document sets out the relevant figures for April 1999 and October 2008.

Non-Domestic Rates: Ports

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley of 9 October 2008,  Official Report, column 802W, on taxation, what account was taken of the taxation criteria of  (a) fairness,  (b) proportionality,  (c) public interest and  (d) protecting of public revenue criteria for taxation in the Valuation Office Agency's decisions on retrospective application of business rates to ports; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Valuation Officers apply statutory provisions which determine the effective date for any list alteration.

Police: Pensions

David Hamilton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions his Department has had with members of the Scottish Executive on the funding of changes to police pensions.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 3 November 2008
	The Treasury has discussions with the Scottish Executive from time to time on a number of issues. The Scottish Executive have recently announced changes which they plan to make to police pensions, funded out of their existing budget.

Tax Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to paragraph 2.17 of his Department's document Tax Credits: improving delivery and choice, what the evidential basis is for the Exchequer cost of a fixed system being generally higher than that of a responsive system; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Annex A of "Tax credits: improving delivery and choice—a discussion document", published by HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs in May 2008, and currently available on the Treasury website, examines in detail the issues surrounding a fixed system of tax credits.

Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households were overpaid tax credits in each year since 2003; how much was overpaid in tax credits in each of those years; and how much of that overpaid money was not recovered in each of those years.

Stephen Timms: Information on the number of families who incurred overpayments and on the total value of overpayments in 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 is provided in part 2, figure 9 of the report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, in the HM Revenue and Customs 2007-08 accounts. This is available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/hmrc-dep-acct0708.pdf
	Information relating to the recovery of these overpayments is provided in part 2, figure 11 of the same report.

Taxation: Carers

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish his Department's assessment of the proposal for tax-exempt care vouchers to help carers of adults remain in employment whilst balancing their caring responsibilities.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the then Financial Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Wavertree (Jane Kennedy) gave on 26 November 2007,  Official Report, column 128W.

Valuation Office

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 29 September 2008,  Official Report, column 2307W, on the Valuation Office Agency: Rightmove, what work was approved to identify cost-effective approaches to gathering more information.

Stephen Timms: Investigative work was undertaken to assess market coverage and to support the Agency's aims of (1) reducing further the numbers of visits to taxpayers' homes, (2) aiding the accuracy of bandings and (3) improving timeliness in dealing with taxpayers' queries.

Valuation Office: Geographical Information Systems

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 29 September 2008,  Official Report, column 2307W, on the Valuation Office: Geographical Information Systems, whether the Agency or HM Revenue and Customs plans to publish an invitation to tender document for any of the project for the new system.

Stephen Timms: No. Four companies were invited to tender. The invitations to tender documents have not been published beyond the four companies, due to commercial sensitivities.

Valuation Office: Geographical Information Systems

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 29 September 2008,  Official Report, column 2307W, on the Valuation Office: Geographical Information Systems, what the timetable is for finalising the specification of the geographic information system.

Stephen Timms: The specification for the Valuation Office Agency's GIS will be finalised by December 2009.

JUSTICE

Community Orders: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many community orders were issued to residents of  (a) Hertfordshire and  (b) Hemel Hempstead in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: Data on community sentences (including the community order and other community sentences) are available by police force area and the following table shows the number of community sentences imposed by the courts in the Hertfordshire police force area 2002 to 2006. Data for 2007 will be available later in the year. Community sentence data are not made available for smaller areas because detailed checks on sentencing data are not carried out at court level.
	
		
			  Number of persons sentenced( 1)  to community sentences in Hertfordshire police force area, 2002 to 2006. England and Wales. Criminal justice area 
			   Hertfordshire police force area (Number of persons) 
			 2002 2,709 
			 2003 3,019 
			 2004 3,363 
			 2005 3,617 
			 2006 3,716 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source:  OMS Analytical Services

Crimes of Violence: Ex-servicemen

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many former members of the armed forces were taken into custody following a conviction for a violent offence in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: We are unable to identify the occupation of an offender from the courts proceedings database. As such, we cannot tell the number of ex-service personnel that were convicted and sentenced to immediate custody for violent offences.
	Data from nationally representative surveys of some 2000 sentenced prisoners near release conducted in 2001, 2003 and 2004 show the proportion of prisoners who had previously served in the armed forces as 6 per cent. 4 per cent. and 5 per cent. respectively.

Custody

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on the use of deferred commencement dates for custodial sentences; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: Where a court imposes a custodial sentence the offender is sent to prison immediately unless the court decides to suspend the sentence. We have no plans to introduce provisions to defer the commencement of custodial sentences.

Legal Aid Scheme

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the budget for civil legal aid was in each year since 2004.

Bridget Prentice: There is no set budget for civil legal aid. Civil legal aid is funded from the overall budget for legal aid which itself forms part of the Department's delegated expenditure (DEL). Funding for legal aid can be increased or decreased from within DEL according to need.
	The following table shows the resource expenditure for the Community Legal Service covering civil, family, immigration and asylum work since 2004-05.
	
		
			  Community Legal Service expenditure 
			   Resource (£ million) 
			 2004-05 624 
			 2005-06 783 
			 2006-07 788 
			 2007-08 795

Marriage

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure the rights of women are protected in the approval by English courts of  (a) marriages and  (b) divorces completed under Sharia law;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that English courts have the  (a) resources and  (b) expertise to exercise proper scrutiny of marriages and divorces completed under Sharia law which come before them;
	(3)  how many consent order forms were issued by his Department for approval by English courts of  (a) marriages and  (b) divorces completed under Sharia law in each of the last five years; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the necessary form;
	(4)  how many divorces completed under Sharia law and granted consent orders by English courts involved individuals under the age of 18 years in the last 10 years;
	(5)  how many marriages completed under Sharia law were referred to English courts for a consent order in each of the last five years;
	(6)  what estimate he has made of the number of marriages completed under Sharia law which were not referred to English courts for a consent order in each of the last five years;
	(7)  how many marriages completed under Sharia law were  (a) granted and  (b) denied consent orders by English courts in each of the last five years;
	(8)  how many marriages completed under Sharia law and granted a consent order by English courts involved individuals under the age of 18 years in the last 10 years;
	(9)  what estimate he has made of the number of divorces completed under Sharia law which were not referred to English courts for a consent order in each of the last five years;
	(10)  how many divorces completed under Sharia law were  (a) granted and  (b) denied consent orders by English courts in each of the last five years;
	(11)  how many divorces completed under Sharia law and granted consent orders by English courts were initiated by  (a) women and  (b) men in each of the last five years.

Jack Straw: When a petition for divorce is lodged at a court the court requires information to ascertain that there was a valid marriage between the parties, and the grounds on which a divorce is sought. The religious affiliation of the parties is not included on divorce documents. Hence it is not possible to provide any statistics that relate to the parties' religion.
	Marriages conducted in this country under Sharia law are not recognised in England and Wales unless they also comply with the provisions of the Marriage Acts. Therefore "Sharia marriages" are not a legal reality in this country and we cannot obtain statistics for them. We are aware that many Muslim couples undergo both a civil ceremony in a register office and a purely religious ceremony. The former is recognised but the latter is not. Increasing numbers of mosques are registered so that they can offer a joint civil and religious marriage ceremony. Section 55 of the Family Law Act 1986 allows parties to a marriage to apply for an order that their marriage is valid, or to allow "divorced" parties similarly to test the validity of their divorce. This provision is used rarely, and generally to test the validity of marriages contracted abroad and foreign divorces. A Sharia marriage contracted in this country which does not comply with Marriage Act requirements would not be validated.
	"Sharia divorces" conducted in this country are also unrecognised by the legal system. The English courts do not approve divorces or annulments granted by any faith group, therefore no statistics are available for them. A Sharia divorce dissolves the religious "limb" of a marriage but leaves the civil marriage intact. This must be dissolved by a civil divorce. If no civil marriage has taken place then no civil divorce is required.
	Consent orders differ widely according to what is required in each case. Therefore there is no standard form for a consent order. In a consent order relating to children the court can, among other things, make orders relating to contact, residence, a requirement that either parent do something or refrain from doing it, an order for expert reports or for contact activities or for review. In financial matters a court can deal with income, capital, pensions, assets and can, among others orders, make periodical payment, secured periodical payment, lump sum or property adjustment orders, pension sharing orders, and asset distribution orders.
	The only orders that can be made during an extant marriage are an order for validity of marriage, as described above, or an order for judicial separation, which has similar effects to divorce save that the parties are still regarded as married, albeit legally separated. This type of order is usually used by those with a religious objection to divorce. Neither of these orders is likely to be made by consent.
	Consent orders can be applied for following negotiations and an agreement reached by the parties directly, or with the help of lawyers, mediators, or a third party, which might be a Sharia council. Sharia councils operate under the statutory basis of the Arbitration Act 1996, established by the previous Government. The family court would be unable to tell whether an application for a consent order (whether within a divorce or in other proceedings) had been made as the result of negotiations conducted through a Sharia council, by the parties themselves, through mediation or by the intervention of any other third party. Applications for consent orders are generally filed by solicitors. In those circumstances the court can see whether the parties had the benefit of legal advice. However, even if lawyers have represented the parties, the court will still check consent orders to ensure that they appear to be within the range of orders that could be made had the matter been adjudicated in court.
	There are many forms of alternative dispute resolution available to assist parties to reach an agreement in family cases, but whichever method the parties use; the principles applied by the court are the same. The court cannot simply 'rubber-stamp' an agreement in a family case, whatever the process by which the agreement has been reached, and judges can and do ask for further information where there is any doubt about the propriety of a proposed order.
	Any proposed consent order submitted to the court, whether the product of an agreement by the Sharia council or not, might be made by coercion and it is the function of the judiciary to question any order which appears unfair.
	An order which on its face involved an undue financial advantage to one party or set out arrangements for children which excluded care by or contact with one parent would be the sort of order which alerts a court to potential coercion and the need to ask for further information and, if appropriate, to refuse to make the order requested.
	Court statistics do not include the ages of the parties at the time a consent order is made, although the information is available to the court when considering the terms of the order, and is one of the factors taken into account in making a decision as to the fairness or otherwise of an order. The Office for National Statistics' records show that between 1996 and 2005 only 18 women and no men under the age of 18 were divorced.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to reply to the letter dated 19 September from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on Mr. Abdoul Karim Barry.

Jack Straw: I replied to the right hon. Member on 23 October 2008. I apologise for the delay.

Prison Service: Appeals

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many cases were considered by the Civil Service Appeal Board in regard to staff employed by HM Prison Service in each of the last five years.
	(2)  on how many occasions the Civil Service Appeal Board has recommended re-instatement or re-engagement of staff employed by HM Prison Service in each of the last five years;
	(3)  on how many occasions where the Civil Service Appeal Board has recommended reinstatement or re-engagement of staff employed by HM Prison Service the Prison Service decided not to accept the recommendation of the Board in each of the last five years;
	(4)  what the additional cost has been to the public purse of a decision by HM Prison Service not to accept the recommendation of the Civil Service Appeal Board to re-instate or re-engage a member of staff in each of the last five years;
	(5)  what the cost has been to the public purse, of applications to the Civil Service Appeal Board by staff employed by HM Prison Service in each of the last five years.

Shahid Malik: In the Prison Service, responsibility for defending cases at the Civil Service Appeal Board is devolved to a local level. Comprehensive records of the outcome of all Civil Service Appeal Board cases have only been maintained centrally since November 2007. Information on cases prior to that date can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	According to centrally held records, 64 cases were considered by the Civil Service Appeal Board in regard to staff employed by the public sector Prison Service between 1 November 2007 and 16 October 2008.
	The Civil Service Appeal Board recommended reinstatement or re-engagement of public sector Prison Service staff in 14 cases between 1 November 2007 and 16 October 2008.
	The public sector Prison Service decided not to accept the recommendation of the Civil Service Appeal Board in six cases where the Board had recommended reinstatement or re-engagement of staff between 1 November 2007 and 16 October 2008.
	The sum of £40,820.00 was incurred in additional awards in those cases between 1 November 2007 and 16 October 2008 where the public sector HM Prison Service decided not to accept the recommendation of the Civil Service Appeal Board to reinstate or re-engage a member of staff.
	The cost to the public purse, in terms of the compensation awarded following applications by staff employed by the public sector Prison Service to the Civil Service Appeal Board between 1 November 2007 and 16 October 2008 was £199,781.34.

Prisoners

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people serving custodial sentences for each type of offence of  (a) less than one month,  (b) between one and three months,  (c) between three and six months and  (d) between six and 12 months were in prison on average at any one time in each of the last 10 years.

David Hanson: Figures showing the numbers of prisoners serving sentences in all prison establishments in England and Wales by offence group and in the sentence length bands requested can be found in the following table.
	I refer also to the Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 2007, published on 30 October, copies of which have been placed in the House of Commons Library. This will provide additional context to the statistics supplied in the answer.
	The breakdowns in the table for the years 2002-06 are further breakdowns of tables to be found in earlier editions of the Offender Management Caseload Statistics (table 8.12 for 2006) and Prison Statistics for England and Wales. Data are not available to provide equivalent further breakdowns for the years 1998 to 2001, and the statistics provided for these years are therefore taken from the annual published table in Prison Statistics for England and Wales.
	The figures provided have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			  Immediate custodial sentenced population in prison establishments by sentence length and offence group 
			   All sentence lengths  All within requested range  (a) Less than one month  (b) One month and less than three months  (c) Three months and less than six months  (d) Six months less than 12 months 
			  2007   
			 All 65,533 7,626 337 1,231 3,597 2,462 
			 Violence against the person 17,616 1,458 54 209 767 428 
			 Sexual offences 7,336 102 9 14 26 54 
			 Robbery 8,747 264 41 53 88 81 
			 Burglary 7,920 643 44 73 254 272 
			 Then and handling 3,706 1,720 73 303 819 526 
			 Fraud and forgery 1,738 477 5 25 160 287 
			 Drug offences 10,613 231 20 35 82 94 
			 Motoring offences 1,484 891 8 109 587 187 
			 Other offences 5,991 1,761 74 397 789 501 
			 Offence not recorded 383 80 8 15 26 32 
			
			  2006   
			 All 63,404 8,484 363 1,461 4,136 2,525 
			 Violence against the person 16,215 1,608 66 257 862 423 
			 Sexual offences 6,598 125 9 15 41 60 
			 Robbery 8,415 215 37 37 67 75 
			 Burglary 7,791 677 33 85 280 279 
			 Theft and handling 4,125 2,077 71 398 996 611 
			 Fraud and forgery 1,692 444 4 38 145 257 
			 Drug offences 10,647 250 24 48 93 85 
			 Motoring offences 1,920 1,305 9 190 879 227 
			 Other offences 5,594 1,689 104 381 752 452 
			 Offence not recorded 408 96 5 13 21 67 
			
			  2005   
			 All 62,179 8,234 391 1,491 4,127 2,225 
			 Violence against the person 15,178 1,571 57 281 846 386 
			 Sexual offences 6,185 127 13 10 47 56 
			 Robbery 8,378 179 35 30 63 51 
			 Burglary 8,082 600 44 73 274 209 
			 Theft and handling 4,126 1,977 81 441 924 531 
			 Fraud and forgery 1,454 393 4 42 139 208 
			 Drug offences 10,661 251 34 39 92 86 
			 Motoring offences 2,163 1,472 12 229 1.052 179 
			 Other offences 5,289 1,517 103 336 637 441 
			 Offence not recorded 664 148 8 10 53 77 
			  2004   
			 All 60,924 8,057 373 1,439 3,939 2,306 
			 Violence against the person 13,974 1,406 81 234 696 395 
			 Sexual offences 5,773 103 5 12 38 47 
			 Robbery 8,448 184 29 39 62 54 
			 Burglary 8,643 698 40 72 269 317 
			 Theft and handling 4,404 2,046 87 431 922 607 
			 Fraud and forgery 1,147 336 3 40 172 121 
			 Drug offences 10,486 203 19 37 76 71 
			 Motoring offences 2,403 1,619 19 277 1,140 184 
			 Other offences 4,842 1,280 81 279 501 420 
			 Offence not recorded 803 182 10 20 63 90 
			
			  2003   
			 All 59,393 8,178 337 1,469 4,163 2,209 
			 Violence against the person 12,986 1,156 58 204 581 313 
			 Sexual offences 5.540 91 5 16 30 41 
			 Robbery 8,286 180 36 45 48 51 
			 Burglary 8,816 700 38 75 282 305 
			 Theft and handling 4,651 2,292 84 457 1,114 637 
			 Fraud and forgery 1,022 284 6 37 156 85 
			 Drug offences 10,330 253 28 37 86 102 
			 Motoring offences 2,689 2,000 22 351 1,362 265 
			 Other offences 4,186 1,038 56 225 438 319 
			 Offence not recorded 886 185 6 21 65 93 
			
			  2002   
			 All 57,272 7,796 337 1,319 3,791 2,349 
			 Violence against the person 12,212 1,079 45 162 511 362 
			 Sexual offences 5,294 87 1 16 25 46 
			 Robbery 7,522 214 48 38 58 71 
			 Burglary 9,156 805 48 58 306 393 
			 Theft and handling 4,739 2,299 94 461 1,077 667 
			 Fraud and forgery 1,040 258 5 45 125 83 
			 Drug offences 10,067 244 22 26 81 115 
			 Motoring offences 2,259 1,674 17 293 1,140 225 
			 Other offences 3,911 887 50 197 387 253 
			 Offence not recorded 1,072 248 9 25 81 134 
		
	
	
		
			   ( 1) —  Up to and including 3 months  Over 3 months up to and including 6 months  Over 6 months less than 12 months 
			  2001  
			 All 54,169 8,542 2,428 3,958 2,156 
			 Violence against the person 11,637 1,160 262 541 357 
			 Rape 2,760 9 5 1 3 
			 Other Sexual offences 2,304 72 9 30 33 
			 Robbery 6,813 199 46 73 80 
			 Burglary 8,515 765 106 299 360 
			 Theft and handling 4,584 2,215 515 1,111 589 
			 Fraud and forgery 1.020 283 59 145 79 
			 Drug offences 9,068 262 73 92 97 
			 Other offences 6,581 3,357 1,317 1,587 453 
			 Offence not recorded 887 220 36 79 105 
			   
			  2000  
			 All 53,093 8,792 2,049 4,338 2,405 
			 Violence against the person 11,217 1,162 288 553 321 
			 Rape 2,702 12 9 3 0 
			 Other Sexual offences 2,388 112 18 46 48 
			 Robbery 6,353 193 54 74 65 
			 Burglary 8,982 898 135 372 391 
			 Theft and handling 5,044 2,580 640 1,184 756 
			 Fraud and forgery 1,016 282 69 127 86 
			 Drug offences 8,473 324 78 117 129 
			 Other offences 6,051 2,954 721 1,745 488 
			 Offence not recorded 866 275 37 117 121 
			   
			  1999  
			 All 51,293 7,380 1,650 3,540 2,190 
			 Violence against the person 10,858 1,006 214 460 332 
			 Rape 2,576 0 0 0 0 
			 Other Sexual offences 2,370 122 9 38 75 
			 Robbery 6,331 86 14 39 33 
			 Burglary 8,780 791 97 334 360 
			 Theft and handling 4,411 2,068 529 945 594 
			 Fraud and forgery 1,104 283 44 142 97 
			 Drug offences 8,169 279 45 100 134 
			 Other offences 5,398 2,538 669 1,416 453 
			 Offence not recorded 1,296 207 29 66 112 
			   
			  1998  
			 All 52,159 7,610 1,500 3,599 2,511 
			 Violence against the person 10,944 1,049 217 504 328 
			 Rape 2,373 0 0 0 0 
			 Other Sexual offences 2,422 124 13 55 56 
			 Robbery 6,626 117 16 53 48 
			 Burglary 8,656 770 101 287 382 
			 Theft and handling 4,492 1,928 389 895 644 
			 Fraud and forgery 1,199 321 59 130 132 
			 Drug offences 7,893 409 41 157 211 
			 Other offences 5,425 2,555 631 1,390 534 
			 Offence not recorded 2,129 336 33 128 175 
			 (1) Data unavailable to provide further breakdown

Prisoners Release

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders were released on licence from prisons in England and Wales having served less than half of their custodial sentence in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jack Straw: In 2007, 11,428 prisoners were released earlier than their halfway point of sentence subject to licence conditions on the Home Detention Curfew Scheme and 16,197 prisoners were released under temporary licence on the End of Custody Licence scheme.
	The Offender Caseload statistics for 2007 were published on 30 October 2008 and are available on the Ministry of Justice website and in the Library of the House.

Prisoners: Nationality

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what percentage of  (a) foreign national prisoners and  (b) prisoners of unknown nationality there were in each prison in England and Wales on 1 October 2008.

David Hanson: The following table indicates the numbers of prisoners who are recorded as being  (a) foreign national and  (b) nationality not yet recorded in all prison establishments in England and Wales as at 30 September 2008. Although nationality may not yet be recorded in certain instances, this is not indicative of where nationality is unknown. Relevant checks with other Government Departments are conducted as appropriate in order to ascertain further details.
	
		
			   Foreign nationals in establishment  As a percentage of total population in establishment  Nationality not recorded in establishment  As a percentage of total population in establishment 
			  Male 
			 Acklington 28 3 0 0 
			 Albany 60 11 7 1 
			 Altcourse 95 8 15 1 
			 Ashfield 27 7 6 2 
			 Ashwell 65 11 1 0 
			 Aylesbury 61 14 0 0 
			 Bedford 93 19 4 1 
			 Belmarsh 193 21 17 2 
			 Birmingham 189 13 32 2 
			 Blantyre House 2 2 1 1 
			 Blundeston 91 18 0 0 
			 Brinsford 45 8 0 0 
			 Bristol 55 9 7 1 
			 Brixton 225 28 16 2 
			 Buckley Hall 19 5 0 0 
			 Bullingdon 153 15 7 1 
			 Bullwood Hall 194 93 0 0 
			 Camp Hill 91 16 34 6 
			 Canterbury 281 97 1 0 
			 Cardiff 74 9 8 1 
			 Castington 15 4 2 1 
			 Channings Wood 44 6 0 0 
			 Chelmsford 114 16 20 3 
			 Coldingley 55 14 3 1 
			 Cookham Wood 5 10 0 0 
			 Dartmoor 29 5 0 0 
			 Deerbolt 12 3 1 0 
			 Doncaster 110 10 53 5 
			 Dorchester 24 10 5 2 
			 Dovegate 107 13 1 0 
			 Dover 298 99 3 1 
			 Durham 76 8 6 1 
			 Edmunds Hill 82 23 0 0 
			 Elmley 145 15 20 2 
			 Erlestoke 54 12 0 0 
			 Everthorpe 35 5 0 0 
			 Exeter 36 7 6 1 
			 Featherstone 70 10 1 0 
			 Feltham 147 23 30 5 
			 Ford 66 12 1 0 
			 Forest Bank 84 7 25 2 
			 Frankland 39 5 2 0 
			 Full Sutton 57 10 0 0 
			 Garth 59 7 1 0 
			 Gartree 44 8 0 0 
			 Glen Parva 69 9 3 0 
			 Gloucester 20 6 13 4 
			 Grendon/Spring Hill 20 4 0 0 
			 Guys Marsh 51 9 0 0 
			 Haslar 160 100 1 1 
			 Haverigg 23 4 0 0 
			 Hewell 200 14 5 0 
			 High Down 229 21 36 3 
			 Highpoint 176 22 3 0 
			 Hindley 15 3 4 1 
			 Hollesley Bay 12 4 0 0 
			 Holme House 44 4 3 0 
			 Hull 47 5 5 0 
			 Huntercombe 58 17 6 2 
			 Kennet 23 7 0 0 
			 Kingston (Portsmouth) 17 9 0 0 
			 Kirkham 8 1 0 0 
			 Kirklevington Grange 0 0 0 0 
			 Lancaster Castle 5 2 0 0 
			 Lancaster Farms 19 4 11 2 
			 Latchmere House 9 5 0 0 
			 Leeds 84 9 6 1 
			 Leicester 62 17 7 2 
			 Lewes 75 11 7 1 
			 Leyhill 37 8 0 0 
			 Lincoln 67 9 9 1 
			 Lindholme 162 15 46 4 
			 Littlehey 119 16 0 0 
			 Liverpool 116 8 10 1 
			 Long Lartin 67 15 0 0 
			 Lowdham Grange 104 15 2 0 
			 Maidstone 96 20 1 0 
			 Manchester 197 16 43 4 
			 Moorland Open 6 2 0 0 
			 Moorland Closed 41 5 0 0 
			 North Sea Camp 16 5 1 0 
			 Northallerton 5 2 0 0 
			 Norwich 63 12 8 1 
			 Nottingham 73 13 14 3 
			 Onley 55 10 4 1 
			 Pare 45 4 5 0 
			 Parkhurst 80 16 6 1 
			 Pentonville 327 29 30 3 
			 Peterborough 104 17 18 3 
			 Portland 77 13 3 0 
			 Preston 33 4 5 1 
			 Ranby 100 9 2 0 
			 Reading 14 5 4 2 
			 Risley 73 7 0 0 
			 Rochester 79 17 0 0 
			 Rye Hill 135 21 0 0 
			 Shepton Mallet 5 3 0 0 
			 Shrewsbury 39 13 3 1 
			 Stafford 71 10 0 0 
			 Standford Hill 42 9 1 0 
			 Stocken 74 9 2 0 
			 Stoke Heath 17 3 3 0 
			 Sudbury 16 3 0 0 
			 Swaleside 151 20 1 0 
			 Swansea 36 9 3 1 
			 Swinfen Hall 46 7 1 0 
			 The Mount 219 29 3 0 
			 The Verne 359 61 0 0 
			 The Wolds 18 5 0 0 
			 Thorn Cross 1 0 1 0 
			 Usk/Prescoed 17 4 0 0 
			 Wakefield 55 7 2 0 
			 Wandsworth 478 29 89 5 
			 Warren Hill 12 6 15 7 
			 Wayland 134 13 5 0 
			 Wealstun 33 6 1 0 
			 Wellingborough 95 15 1 0 
			 Werrington 7 5 7 5 
			 Wetherby 5 2 6 2 
			 Whatton 70. 8 0 0 
			 Whitemoor 66 15 3 1 
			 Winchester 62 11 2 0 
			 Woodhill 114 14 21 3 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 457 36 20 2 
			 Wymott 60 6 0 0 
			  
			  Female 
			 Askham Grange 3 3 8 0 
			 Bronzefield 103 25 49 12 
			 Downview 73 20 1 0 
			 Drake Halt 50 20 1 0 
			 East Sutton Park 8 9 0 0 
			 Eastwood Park 41 13 2 1 
			 Foston Hall 16 7 3 1 
			 Holloway 126 26 17 4 
			 Low Newton 22 7 0 0 
			 Morton Hail 235 68 0 0 
			 New Hall 41 10 7 2 
			 Peterborough 57 16 10 3 
			 Send 38 14 1 0 
			 Styal 35 8 5 1 
			  
			 Total 11,168 13 944 1 
		
	
	Population data were published on the Ministry of Justice website on 31 October 2008 in line with standard practice:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/populationincustody.htm
	This information is updated quarterly.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer he was given on 15 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1235W.
	These figures include prisoners held on remand or serving custodial sentences, as well as those held under the Immigration Act 1971 (including those in the immigration removal centres of Dover, Haslar and Lindholme).
	In September's data around 77 per cent. of prisoners for whom nationality is unrecorded are remand prisoners. Unrecorded nationalities account for 1 per cent. of the overall population.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Repossession Orders: Mortgages

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) immediate and  (b) suspended orders for possession have been made in mortgage repossession proceedings in each region in each of the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: The following table shows the numbers of outright and suspended orders made for mortgage possession in each region in England and Wales since 2003.
	These figures do not indicate how many houses have been repossessed through the courts, since not all the orders will have resulted in the issue and execution of warrants of possession.
	
		
			  Number of mortgage( 1)  possession orders( 2)  made in HM Courts Service regions, and in England and Wales 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  Total 
			  Suspended orders   
			 London 3,252 3,996 6,489 6,914 6,129 26,780 
			 Midlands 4,705 5,222 7,174 8,585 8,968 34,654 
			 North East 3,579 3,687 5,360 6,967 7,009 26,602 
			 North West 4,003 3,805 5,043 6,714 7,179 26,744 
			 South East 4,933 5,759 8,174 8,647 8,000 35,513 
			 South West 2,305 2,593 3,750 4,114 3,757 16,519 
			 Wales 1,729 1,527 2,156 2,700 2,991 11,103 
			 England and Wales 24,506 26,589 38,146 44,641 44,033 177,915 
			
			  Outright orders   
			 London 2,742 3,792 6,621 8,298 7,945 29,398 
			 Midlands 2,936 3,715 5,943 8,816 10,069 31,479 
			 North East 2,427 2,549 4,279 6,643 8,043 23,941 
			 North West 2,635 2,687 4,072 6,499 7,890 23,783 
			 South East 3,268 4,291 7,046 9,046 9,824 33,475 
			 South West 1,425 1,940 3,068 4,001 4,421 14,855 
			 Wales 1,099 1,120 1,789 2,736 3,208 9,952 
			 England and Wales 16,532 20,094 32,818 46,039 51,400 166,883 
			
			  All orders   
			 London 5,994 7,788 13,110 15,212 14,074 56,178 
			 Midlands 7,641 8,937 13,117 17,401 19,037 66,133 
			 North East 6,006 6,236 9,639 13,610 15,052 50,543 
			 North West 6,638 6,492 9,115 13,213 15,069 50,527 
			 South East 8,201 10,050 15,220 17,693 17,824 68,988 
			 South West 3,730 4,533 6,818 8,115 8,178 31,374 
			 Wales 2,828 2,647 3,945 5,436 6,199 21,055 
			 England and Wales 41,038 46,683 70,964 90,680 95,433 344,798 
			 (1 )Mortgage possession data include all types of lenders whether local authority or private. (2 )The court, following a judicial hearing, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction.  Notes: 1. Includes suspended orders and orders made.  2. Does not include the small number of possession actions entered in the High Court.   Source:  Ministry of Justice

Shoplifting

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to introduce restorative justice in relation to shoplifting offences.

Jack Straw: Restorative justice can be used in relation to shoplifting offences. It is for local criminal justice boards and local criminal justice agencies to consider how best to use their funding to meet their targets and local needs. Restorative justice, for a variety of offences, is an established part of the work of youth offending teams and a number of areas have established schemes to deliver adult restorative justice. Where a scheme is available, its use in relation to a given case should depend on whether the victim chooses to participate and, where appropriate, the sentence of the court.

Young Offender Institutions

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many hours per day were spent by inmates  (a) in cell and  (b) out of cell in each young offender institution in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The National Offender Management Service does not record the time prisoners spend in or out of their cells but does measure the time cells are unlocked. The following table shows the average time unlocked per prisoner per weekday, in all young offenders institutions across England and Wales between April and September 2008. Data are provisional and subject to validation.
	
		
			  Average time unlocked per prisoner per weekday 
			  Prison  Average time unlocked per prisoner per weekday 
			 Ashfield 9.7 
			 Aylesbury 7.0 
			 Brinsford (1)— 
			 Castington 8.8 
			 Cookham Wood 18.6 
			 Deerbolt 7.0 
			 Feltham 9.5 
			 Glen Parva 8.3 
			 Hindley 9.2 
			 Huntercombe 6.6 
			 Lancaster Farms 7.8 
			 Northallerton 7.6 
			 Portland 7.9 
			 Reading 7.5 
			 Rochester 7.6 
			 Stoke Heath 8.5 
			 Swinfen Hall 7.8 
			 Thorn Cross 12.5 
			 Warren Hill 9.7 
			 Wellington 10.1 
			 Wetherby 10.7 
			 (1) Data not available

Young Offender Institutions: Drugs

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what rehabilitation programmes are available for drug users in young offender institutions.

David Hanson: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has in place a comprehensive drug treatment framework, based on the National Treatment Agency's revised models of care, to address the different needs of drug-misusers in prisons and young offenders institutions (YOIs). The interventions available are designed to meet the needs of low, moderate and severe drug misusers—irrespective of age, gender or ethnicity.
	The interventions available include:
	Clinical services (detoxification and/or maintenance prescribing);
	CARATs (Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Throughcare services)—CARATs are available in all YOIs in England and Wales;
	Drug rehabilitation programmes—young adult offenders in the estate have access to the following programmes:
	Short Duration Programme
	P-ASRO (prisons Addressing Substance Related Offending)
	Therapeutic Communities (young females in 1 establishment)
	Young People's Substance Misuse Service (YPSMS)—a non-clinical service for those under the age of 18 in custody in England and Wales, combining education and prevention with treatment.
	Prison drug treatment funding has increased year on year since 1996-97—up 1,179 per cent., with record numbers engaging in treatment.

Young Offender Institutions: Education

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what educational opportunities are available for young offenders aged  (a) 16 to 18 and  (b) 18 to 21 years old in young offender institutions.

David Hanson: The educational opportunities available to offenders in young offender institutions (YOIs) is specified by the Learning and Skills Council in both an offenders' learning journey for under 18s and an offenders' learnings journey for adults. For under 18s this includes literacy, language and numeracy, information and communications technology (ICT), continuity of mainstream education, vocational training in a range of subjects and physical education. For adults, the specified curriculum includes literacy, language and numeracy, ICT and work-related learning.

Young Offenders: Employment

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many young offenders found full or part-time employment within one month of release from custody in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The National Offender Management Service does not record whether an offender has found full or part-time employment within a month of release from custody. However, it does record whether an offender has full or part-time employment on release. During the period April to September 2008 (latest figures available(1)) the total number of prisoners with employment upon release from young offender institutions (YOIs) was 1,263.
	(1) Data are provisional and subject to ongoing validation.

Young Offenders: Literacy

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of young offenders in custody were unable to read or write  (a) on admission and  (b) on release in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Hanson: All young offenders under the age of 18 are assessed. Young offenders over the age of 18 are only assessed where basic skills screening indicates a literacy or numeracy deficiency and they have been referred to a learning provider.
	In the academic year 2007-08 there were a total of 7,329 learning and skills assessments carried out in young offender institutions (YOIs). 24 per cent. of those assessments showed literacy levels below level 1 with numeracy below level 1 at 33 per cent. In the same period 1,388 qualifications were achieved below level 1, 1,813 qualifications at level 1 and 771 were achieved at level 2. Assessment of individuals was not carried out on release from custody and information is not available centrally.

Young Offenders: Prisoners Release

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of young offenders went to  (a) housing provided by a family member, ( b) housing provided by a local authority or other statutory provider,  (c) housing provided by a charity and  (d) an address unknown to the authorities following release from custody in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Hanson: Currently suitable accommodation after custody is a key element in the Government's Youth Crime Action Plan and we have been consulting on how we can increase young offender's access to this resource. The responses to the consultation will inform future policy in this area. There is also a National Indicator 46, 'Young offenders' access to suitable accommodation', which will encourage local authorities to support this aim. This information is not collected centrally.

Young Offenders: Prisoners Release

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of young offenders were released from custody into full or part-time education in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The percentage of prisoners released from custody into full or part-time education from young offender institutions (YOIs) was 27.8 per cent. for the period April to September 2008, the latest figures available(1).
	(1) Data are provisional and subject to ongoing validation.

Young People: Custodial Treatment

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects the independent review of prisoner escort and custody services-commissioned escorts for young people, commissioned by the Youth Justice Board to be published.

David Hanson: The Youth Justice Board has commissioned a research report to assist with planning of escorting arrangements in the secure estate for children and young people. The purpose of the report is to aid internal decision-making and the board has no plans to publish it.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Overseas Aid

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make it his policy not to allocate aid and assistance to countries which operate space programmes.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development's (DFID) policy on providing aid is set out in the UK Government's 2006 White Paper. This is available online:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/wp2006/default.asp
	DFID concentrates its development assistance on countries with the largest numbers of poor people and on fragile states. When then deciding whether to use aid to support a country's Government, DFID undertakes a detailed assessment of that Government's commitment to: reducing poverty; upholding human rights; and improving public financial management.
	When assessing a Government's commitment to reducing poverty the composition of their public expenditure programme is viewed as a whole. It would not be appropriate to make that assessment based solely on whether they include or exclude specific expenditures.

Rwanda: Overseas Aid

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid the Government have provided to Rwanda in each of the last three years.

Douglas Alexander: The UK Government have provided the following amounts of aid to Rwanda during the last three years:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005 29,325,834 
			 2006 51,298,863 
			 2007 47,204,899

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Civil Servants: Career Structure

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  what records his Department maintains on the number of civil servants who are  (a) on the Priority Movers List,  (b) part of the Priority Talent Pool,  (c) part of the Career Support Network and  (d) part of the Redeployment Network in each Government agency and Department;
	(2)  how many permanent staff of  (a) the Cabinet Office and  (b) the Central Office of Information are not assigned to a permanent post;
	(3)  how many permanent staff within Downing street are classed as  (a) staff without posts and  (b) part of a people action team.

Tom Watson: Individual Departments maintain their own records of staff temporarily without a permanent post. These staff are managed actively in accordance with departmental policy and taking into account cross-civil service protocols on the handling of surplus staff.
	As at 30 April 2008 there were 17 permanent Cabinet Office employees without a permanent role and none in the Central Office of Information. The Cabinet Office runs a brokerage service to ensure that staff without permanent roles are assigned to project or interim work while they are supported to find a suitable permanent role.

Civil Servants: Pensions

Paul Rowen: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the annual change in the cost to the public purse arising from the recent changes to civil service pensions; and if he will make a statement.
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the annual savings accruing to the public purse as a result of the introduction of a career average pension scheme within the civil service pension scheme.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Gillian Merron) on 26 July 2007,  Official Report, column 105WS, which gave details of the package of civil service pension reform. The impact to date of the introduction of the nuvos scheme on the overall membership of the civil service pension scheme, and on overall costs, is limited. However, the scheme actuary has estimated long-term annual savings in employer contributions at 1.2 per cent. of the total pensionable payroll (the total pensionable payroll is currently around £14 billion).

Civil Servants: Pensions

Paul Rowen: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many civil servants will receive payments from the civil service pension scheme in 2008-09.

Tom Watson: Details of benefits payable under the principal civil service pension scheme will be included in the Cabinet Office: Civil Superannuation Resource Accounts 2008-09, expected to be published shortly before the summer recess.

Departmental Information Officers

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many full-time equivalent press officers  (a) work and  (b) provide assistance for his Department.

Tom Watson: 10 full-time equivalent press officers currently work and provide assistance for the Cabinet Office.

Departmental Public Participation

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many postcards were issued by his Department as part of public policy consultations in each of the last five years; and how many responses were received in each year.

Tom Watson: The Cabinet Office uses a range of methods to engage with the public, including online surveys and information leaflets. The information requested is not held centrally and can be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	However, 1,479 postcards were sent out at the outset of the Crime and Communities consultation to stakeholders who had been involved with addressing crime and antisocial behaviour in their neighbourhoods. 399 responses were received.

EDF Energy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what contracts  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency has with EDF; and how much (i) his Department and (ii) its agency paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment.

Tom Watson: The Cabinet Office does not have any energy contracts directly with EDF.
	Since 2002 the Cabinet Office has procured its electricity and gas supply from facilities management providers who tender competitively. In 2007-08 the Cabinet Office procured for 70 Whitehall an additional electrical transformer to avoid overloading the original at a cost of £150,000 plus VAT from the distribution network operator EDF Energy.
	From 1998 to 2002 the Cabinet Office procured its energy from various suppliers including London Electricity (wholly owned by EDF Energy). Information for this period can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Government Departments: Information and Communications Technology

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what public-facing IP addresses are used by the Government Secure Intranet.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	The information is as follows.
	 GSi Gateway
	62.25.106.196
	62.25.106.208
	62.25.106.209
	62.25.106.210
	195.92.40.36
	195.92.40.48
	195.92.40.49
	195.92.40.50
	 GSi SIG
	62.25.109.193
	195.92.206.241
	212.137.36.226
	62.25.109.194
	195.92.206.242
	212.137.36.227
	62.25.109.195
	195.92.206.243
	212.137.36.228
	62.25.109.196
	195.92.206.244
	212.137.36.229
	62.25.109.197
	195.92.206.245
	212.137.36.230
	62.25.109.198
	195.92.206.246
	212.137.36.231
	62.25.109.199
	195.92.206.247
	212.137.36.232
	62.25.109.202
	195.92.206.250
	212.137.36.235
	 GCSx
	212.137.70.225
	62.25.105.45

Parliamentary Counsel Office: Manpower

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many staff are employed by the Parliamentary Counsel Office on a  (a) full-time equivalent and  (b) headcount basis; and how many such staff were employed on 1 January (i) 2007 and (ii) 2008.

Tom Watson: As at the end of September 2008 there were 83 people employed in the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. This equated to 79.91 full-time equivalents.
	87 people were employed in the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel as at 1 January 2007. This equated to 84.42 full-time equivalents. 82 people were employed in the Office as at 1 January 2008. This equated to 81.5 full-time equivalents.

Plain English

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much the Cabinet Office has spent on Plain English Campaign training courses in each year since 2005.

Tom Watson: Management units across the Department arrange training to fulfil local skills needs—including for the use of plain English—with a wide range of external training providers.
	Detailed information relating to training activity used by management units is not held centrally by the Department, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recent steps the Government have taken to encourage children and young people to volunteer.

Kevin Brennan: As outlined in the Third Sector Review, the Government are investing £117 million in youth volunteering through v from 2008 to 2011. This is the biggest ever investment in youth volunteering, and v has so far created around 750,000 volunteering opportunities.
	The Office of the Third Sector has also provided funding in this financial year to the following organisations that provide or promote youth volunteering opportunities: Youthnet UK (£472,800), National Youth Agency (£315,200), Youth Action Network (£157,600) and the British Youth Council (£94,600).

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Architects Registration Board: Finance

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding her Department has given to the Architects Registration Board in each of the last three years.

Margaret Beckett: None. The Architects Registration Board is funded by the registration fees paid annually by architects in the UK.

Beacon Council Advisory Panel

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) responsibilities are and  (b) budget is of the Advisory Panel on Beacon Councils.

John Healey: The Independent Advisory Panel for the Beacon Scheme (constituted as a non-departmental public body) advises Ministers on the themes, the criteria for assessment and the award of Beacon status. The panel receives secretariat support, from the Improvement and Development Agency (IdeA). For 2008-09, the forecast is that the direct costs of administering the panel will be around £167,000.

Community Allowance

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for the piloting of community allowances, as referred to in the Communities in Control White Paper.

Tony McNulty: I have been asked to reply.
	We have always made clear that the CREATE consortium will be able to pilot the community allowance within the existing benefits and permitted work structure. We would want to see a full evaluation of the allowance and the impact on improving benefit claimants' chances of moving into work before we considered whether to introduce it more widely.

Community Relations: Islam

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department has taken to implement Recommendation 12 of the Preventing Extremism Together report of 2005 concerning the development of Muslim beacon centres around the UK at the heart of Muslim geographic concentrations.

Sadiq Khan: Progress has been made in implementing 49 of the 64 recommendations in the 2005 'Preventing Extremism Together' (PET). Of the 27 that were for Government to take forward, 22 have been either completed, are under way or are being taken forward as part of other work on preventing violent extremism. Outstanding actions are being taken forward as part of the overall cross-Government Prevent strategy.
	This recommendation, referring to the development of Muslim beacon centres around the UK at the heart of Muslim geographic concentrations was for Muslim communities to take forward. We remain open to the consideration of any requests for Government support in this area.

Departmental Liability

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what dates her Department informed the House of the creation of contingent liabilities relating to her Department or its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years.

Sadiq Khan: Since 2003-04 the House has been informed twice yearly of the Department's and its predecessors' contingent liabilities. These were reported separately through their Main Supply Estimates and their Resource Accounts.
	The Main Supply Estimates were published in April or May of each year. In 2007-08, the Department's Winter and Spring Supplementary Estimates also reported on contingent liabilities. They were published on 15 November 2007 and 20 February 2008 respectively.
	The Resource Accounts were published on the dates set out in the table:
	
		
			  Department  Financial Year  Publication dates 
			 Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Resource Accounts 2003-04 24 November 2004 
			 Office of the Deputy Prime. Minister Resource Accounts 2004-05 20 July 2005 
			 Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Resource Accounts 2005-06 25 July 2006 
			 Communities and Local Government Resource Accounts 2006-07 12 July 2007 
			 Communities and Local Government Resource Accounts 2007-08 21 July 2008

Elderly

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her estimate is of the number of over-80s households in  (a) Eastbourne,  (b) East Sussex and  (c) the UK in the 2008-09 fiscal year.

Margaret Beckett: The following table shows the projected number of over-80s households in Eastbourne, East Sussex and England for mid-2008:
	
		
			  Over-80s households, 2008 
			   Number (Thousand) 
			 Eastbourne 5 
			 East Sussex 35 
			 England 1,690 
		
	
	The figures are from the Communities and Local Government Household Projections (revised 2004-based). These provide figures for England only.

Fire Services

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local fire authorities have signed up to the FireGuard contract; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: FireGuard is a collaborative procurement between 33 fire and rescue authorities to provide back- up emergency cover. We understand that no authority is currently signed up to the contract.

Fire Services

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what arrangement has been made for the provision of fire cover in periods of industrial action in the absence of FireGuard; and which organisations will provide that cover.

Sadiq Khan: The provision of fire cover during periods of industrial action is the responsibility of fire and rescue authorities. It is for them to determine the level of emergency cover they regard as appropriate.

Fire Services: Pensions

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average payment per person to members of the fire service pension scheme was in 2008.

Sadiq Khan: According to figures submitted by fire and rescue authorities, the average payment per pensioner in 2007-08 was approximately £11,200.

Fire Services: Pensions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of active members in the firefighters' pension scheme joined on or after 6 April 2006; and what projections she has made of how this figure will change over time.

Sadiq Khan: In 2007-08, of the 34,700 active members of the firefighters' pension schemes, 5,700 (16.4 per cent.) were members of the new firefighters' pension scheme 2006 which came into operation on 6 April 2006. The firefighters' pension scheme 1992 was closed to new members at that point.
	It is estimated that 1,500 regular and retained firefighters will join the NFPS each year.

Home Information Packs

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will suspend the requirement for a home information pack to be procured by those selling property in order to stimulate the housing market; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: There is no evidence to show that home information packs are contributing to the current problems with the housing market, and we have no plans to suspend them.

Housing: Evictions

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many housing benefit claimants have been  (a) evicted and  (b) deemed intentionally homeless as a result of rent arrears in each of the last three years.

Kitty Ussher: I have been asked to reply.
	The information is not available.

Housing: Low Incomes

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment she has made of the health and safety risk to social housing tenants caused by equipment installed for the purposes of illegal radio broadcasts.

Margaret Beckett: We have not made any assessment of the health and safety risk to social housing tenants caused by equipment installed for the purposes of illegal radio broadcasts.
	Ofcom has extensive powers to prosecute those making illegal radio broadcasts.

Housing: Regeneration

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  which local authorities took part in the first wave of the housing market renewal projects; and which authorities have expressed the intention of taking part in the second wave;
	(2)  how much has been allocated to the second phase housing market renewal project area.

Margaret Beckett: The Housing Market Renewal pathfinder programme was established in 2003, with nine areas chosen for intervention, comprising the following 26 local authorities:
	 Birmingham/Sandwell:
	Birmingham city council; Sandwell MBC
	 East Lancashire:
	Lancashire county council, Blackburn with Darwen borough council, Burnley borough council, Hyndburn borough council, Pendle borough council, Rossendale borough council
	 Hull and East Riding:
	Hull city council, East Riding of Yorkshire council
	 Manchester/Salford:
	Manchester city council; Salford city council
	 Merseyside:
	Liverpool city council; Sefton MBC; Wirral MBC
	 Newcastle/Gateshead:
	Newcastle city council; Gateshead MBC
	 North Staffordshire:
	Stoke-on-Trent city council; Newcastle under Lyme borough council; Staffordshire Moorlands district council
	 Oldham/Rochdale:
	Oldham MBC; Rochdale MBC
	 South Yorkshire:
	Sheffield city council; Barnsley MBC; Doncaster MBC; Rotherham MBC.
	Three areas of wider low demand were added to the programme in 2005:
	 Tees Valley:
	Hartlepool borough council; Middlesbrough council; Redcar and Cleveland borough council; Stockton-on-Tees borough council
	 West Cumbria:
	Cumbria county council; Allerdale district council; Barrow district council; Copeland district council
	 West Yorkshire:
	Bradford city council; Kirklees MBC; Leeds city council; Wakefield MBC
	Funding for the period 2008 to 2011 was announced on 28 February 2008,  Official Report, column 83WS. This covers the authorities as listed, with the exception of West Yorkshire, where funding for the South East Wakefield area of West Yorkshire is to be channelled through the South Yorkshire pathfinder.

Housing: Sales

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the number of failed home sales in England and Wales in each of the last eight quarters.

Margaret Beckett: The latest estimate of the level of failed property transactions was made as part of the 2006 HIPs baseline research published in January 2007. This research estimated that 23 per cent. of buyers with completed transactions had previously had a failed transaction during their current house-buying experience.
	The report is available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/hipbaselineresearch

Local Authorities: Bank Services

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to issue guidance to local authorities with funds frozen in Icelandic banks on the appropriate level of any write-off of affected funds.

John Healey: The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) will be publishing professional advice to local authorities about the accounting aspects of the current situation and the factors they need to take into account in setting their budgets for 2009-10.

Local Authorities: Bank Services

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department issued to councils which signified in September 2008 their intention to  (a) place deposits in overseas banks and  (b) invest in overseas funds.

John Healey: It is a matter for local authorities to determine their own investment policies, within Government guidance to local authorities on investments, which was issued in 2004 following the 2003 Local Government Act. This emphasises that priority should be given to the security and liquidity of invested funds. The guidance is available at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/capital/data/guidlocal.pdf

Local Better Regulation Office

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Local Better Regulation Office will be able to designate itself as a primary authority and instruct councils to take enforcement action.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	The Local Better Regulation Office (LBRO) cannot nominate itself for the role of primary authority. LBRO may give directions in relation to enforcement action, but in limited circumstances. Where a proposed enforcement action has been referred to LBRO, and it confirms a primary authority's view that what is proposed is inconsistent with advice that the business has given, LBRO may direct the enforcing authority to take alternative action.

Local Government: Gloucestershire

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what correspondence she has had with Gloucestershire county council on unitary authority status; and if she will publish it.

John Healey: Gloucestershire county council did not respond to the our "Invitation to Councils", issued in October 2006, to submit unitary proposals and our records show no correspondence with the county council about unitary authority status, other than a freedom of information request in 2006 for information about representations received on the unitary issue. The information requested was provided.

Local Government: Reorganisation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government by what means the process for an area to move from two-tier to unitary local authorities can be initiated.

John Healey: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 13 March 2008,  Official Report, column 583W.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will bring forward proposals to provide compensation for single property mortgage holders who are in negative equity.

Margaret Beckett: Government are working actively with key stakeholders to provide support to homeowners during this period of unprecedented market turmoil. There are no plans to provide compensation for households experiencing negative equity. However, Government are already taking action to provide support for households affected by current market conditions through a mortgage rescue scheme targeted at the most vulnerable households, expanded provision of debt advice and increased support for homeowners who lose their jobs. Government continue to explore options to provide additional support.

Mortgages: Repossession Orders

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions  (a) she and  (b) the Minister for Housing has held with (i) the Secretary of State for Justice and (ii) the Chief Secretary to the Treasury in respect of the rate of use of charging orders by banks (A) nationalised and (B) in receipt of capitalisation by public money, resulting in the repossession of homes of people unable to keep up mortgage payments; and if she will review the application of such charging orders.

Margaret Beckett: Ministers have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals on a wide range of subjects. Information relating to internal meetings, discussion and advice is not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Mortgages: Repossession Orders

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations she has had from the Citizens Advice Bureaux in respect of mortgage holders facing repossession of their homes by banks or building societies when difficulties arise with mortgage payments.

Margaret Beckett: Government are working closely with a range of stakeholders—including the Citizens Advice Bureaux—to help vulnerable households in financial difficulty and facing repossession remain in their homes wherever possible. We are concerned about recent data released from CAB which show a 51 per cent. increase in new mortgage and secured loan inquiries for the period July to September 2008 compared with the same period in 2007. That is why Government are taking urgent action to support vulnerable homeowners during these difficult times.

Mortgages: Repossession Orders

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information her Department holds on the number of housing repossessions which took place as a percentage of the total mortgage book of the UK's top 10 mortgage providers in the last 12 months.

Margaret Beckett: Communities and Local Government does not collect or hold such data. The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) publishes figures on mortgage arrears and repossessions on a quarterly basis drawn from a representative sample of UK lenders covering around 95 per cent. of balances. CML does not publish sectoral data.

Mortgages: Repossession Orders

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will take steps to ensure that banks take into account the tenancy rights of tenants whose landlord has a buy-to-let mortgage before making application for repossession of the property.

Margaret Beckett: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Wright) on 30 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1292W.

Neighbourhood Management Programme

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department has budgeted for neighbourhood management pathfinders in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11.

John Healey: Funding for neighbourhood management pathfinders now forms part of the un-ringfenced area based grant. The allocation for 2008-09 is £10.7 million; proposed allocations for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are £5.1 million and £4.9 million respectively. 2008-09 is the final year of funding for the first round of pathfinders; the 2009-11 figures therefore represent funding for the second round pathfinders only.

Regional Development Agencies

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what projects are funded by her Department through regional development agencies; and what the budget of each is for 2008-09.

Sadiq Khan: My Department does not fund projects through regional development agencies directly. Regional development agencies are funded through the Single Programme, which is administered by their sponsor Department, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. CLG is one of six contributing Departments to the Single Programme and is contributing £1.548 billion to the Single Programme for 2008-09. Spending priorities for each regional development agency are set out in their corporate plans, which are available on their websites.
	Allocations for 2008-09 are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Regional development agency  Total Single programme allocation for 2008-09 (£1000) 
			 Advantage West Midlands 300,638 
			 East of England Development Agency 133,401 
			 East Midlands Development Agency 163,000 
			 London Development Agency 344,672 
			 North West Development Agency 385,008 
			 One North East 245,500 
			 South East England Development Agency 157,811 
			 South West Development Agency 163,008 
			 Yorkshire Forward 299,462 
			 Total 2,192,500

Swimming: Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations her Department has received from local authorities on whether the plans for free swimming for over-60s will impose a net financial cost on local authorities.

Sadiq Khan: Communities and Local Government have not received any representations on this matter. Department for Culture, Media and Sport have the lead in administering this policy.

Tenants Rights

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what recent steps the Government have taken to increase the protection of private tenants;
	(2)  what recent steps the Government have taken to increase public awareness of the rights of private tenants;
	(3)  what recent steps the Government have taken to prevent private landlords retaining rental deposits without justification.

Margaret Beckett: The Government are keen to promote a strong private rented sector that acts professionally and meets the needs of all its customers. In January this year, we commissioned Julie Rugg and David Rhodes at the centre for housing policy at York university to carry out an independent review looking at how the sector is operating and what can be done to improve the experience of both landlords and tenants. The review, published on 23 October, puts forward some very interesting ideas on how to raise standards and professionalism in the sector which we will be considering in consultation with stakeholders.
	We have already introduced measures to protect tenants' deposits. Under the Housing Act 2004, landlords are required to protect the deposits for all assured shorthold tenancies that have been created since 6 April 2007 in one of three Government-approved schemes. These arrangements are designed to safeguard the interests of both landlords and tenants, ensuring good practice in deposit handling, so that when a tenant pays a deposit and is entitled to get it back, he or she can be assured that this will happen. The arrangements also include measures to assist with the resolution of disputes, which are designed to make disagreements over the repayment of the deposit faster and cheaper to resolve. The scheme has got off to an excellent start. In the first year, nearly one million deposits totalling over £900 million were protected under the new arrangements at the rate of 2,500 deposits a day.
	Details of the tenancy deposit protection arrangements and other regularly updated publicity material setting out tenants' rights are available on the Department's website and through:
	www.direct.gov.uk

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what venues were visited by KPMG during its review of the responsibility standards for the production and sale of alcoholic drinks, commissioned by her Department.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office was sent this information from KPMG. However, we believe that this information is commercially sensitive, and it is not our practice to make public information received from third parties.

Animal Experiments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many proposals have been made under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to use animals in scientific procedures in 2008 to date; and how many of these have been accepted.

Meg Hillier: In 2008 to date under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 we have received 610 applications for project licences, 2,059 applications for personal licences and two applications for certificates of designation. In response, so far, 458 project licences, 1,933 personal licences and one certificate of designation have been granted.

Antisocial Behaviour

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how best practice on measures to combat antisocial behaviour is  (a) assessed and  (b) shared with others by her Department.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office antisocial behaviour ActionLine generates and evaluates case studies with the help of frontline practitioners on measures to combat antisocial behaviour. This information is available on the antisocial behaviour practitioner website:
	www.respect.gov.uk
	We also deliver regional workshops to help local practitioners make the best use of the available tools and powers.
	In addition, the effective practice database on the crime reduction website contains over 40 examples of how agencies across England and Wales have used a problem solving approach to tackle antisocial behaviour in their areas:
	http://www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/cgi-bin/epd/index.cgi
	The website is a highly used channel to communicate directly with crime reduction practitioners across a wide range of crime issues.

Antisocial Behaviour: Gwent

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vehicles were confiscated as a result of anti-social behaviour in Islwyn constituency in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: Information on the number of vehicles confiscated as a result of antisocial behaviour is not collected centrally by the Home Office.

Crime: Children

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Government has to include people under the age of 16 years of age in the British Crime Survey; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: The Home Office has already announced that we plan to extend the British Crime Survey to people under the age of 16 from January 2009.
	A National Statistics consultation seeking users' views on our proposals was carried out during the summer. Responses to this consultation are currently being considered and the Home Office will publish a document summarising comments received and its response in due course.

Crime: Petrol Stations

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) assaults,  (b) robberies and  (c) other crimes were committed at petrol stations in (i) Lancashire and (ii) nationally in each of the last three years.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 27 October 2008
	The information requested is not collected centrally. It is not possible to determine the number of offences occurring at petrol stations from the recorded crime data collected by the Home Office.

Departmental Publications

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will place in the Library a copy of  (a) Neighbourhood Wardens: an Evaluation of Selected Schemes,  (b) Approved Premises: Referrals, Admissions and Outcomes,  (c) Implementing Diversionary Restorative Justice: Lessons Learnt,  (d) Process Study of Offender Management in the North West region and  (e) Organised Crime: Revenues, Economic and Social Costs, and Criminal Assets Available for Seizure.

Alan Campbell: A copy of the draft unpublished research reports on "Neighbourhood Wardens: an Evaluation of Selected Schemes" and on "Organised Crime: Revenues, Economic and Social Costs and Criminal Assets Available for Seizure" will be placed in the Library as requested.
	The reports on "Premises: Referrals, Admissions and Outcomes", "Implementing Diversionary Restorative Justice: Lessons Learnt" and "Process Study of Offender Management in the North West region" are now held in the Ministry of Justice following the machinery of government changes implemented in May 2007.
	The Ministry of Justice will write to you separately regarding the release of these reports.

Domestic Violence

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) recorded and  (b) estimated actual number of incidents of domestic violence against (i) women and (ii) men was in the latest period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: From the information collected centrally on police recorded crime, it is not possible to identify recorded cases of domestic violence. Such offences are not specifically defined by law and details of the individual circumstances of offences are not collected.
	The British Crime Survey (BCS) is a nationally representative survey of adults living in private households in England and Wales. The survey asks about crimes that have been experienced in the last 12 months including those not reported to or recorded by the police. Latest estimates from the 2007-08 BCS, show that 288,000 incidents of domestic violence were committed against women and 52,000 incidents against men.

Domestic Violence: Gloucestershire

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of offences related to domestic violence were reported in each police division in Gloucestershire in the latest year for which figures are available.

Alan Campbell: From the information collected centrally on recorded crime, it is not possible to identify recorded cases of domestic violence. Such offences are not specifically defined by law and details of the individual circumstances of offences are not collected.
	The British Crime Survey (BCS) routinely provides information on the number of incidents of domestic violence in England and Wales, but it is not possible to break the statistics down by police force area.

Domestic Violence: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of offences related to domestic violence were reported in each police division of Hertfordshire constabulary in the latest year for which figures are available.

Alan Campbell: From the information collected centrally on recorded crime, it is not possible to identify recorded cases of domestic violence. Such offences are not specifically defined by law and details of the individual circumstances of offences are not collected.
	The British Crime Survey (BCS) routinely provides information on the number of incidents of domestic violence in England and Wales, but it is not possible to break the statistics down by police force area.

Driving Offences

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were  (a) arrested and  (b) convicted for driving without a licence or insurance in (i) North West Cambridgeshire constituency, (ii) Cambridgeshire, (iii) the East of England and (iv) England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: The information requested on arrests is not collected centrally.
	The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person and robbery. The offence of driving without a licence or insurance is not a notifiable offence and does not form a part of the arrests collection.
	Available information on convictions held by the Ministry of Justice, for the offences of 'driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence' and 'using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks', from 2002-06 (latest available) are provided in the following tables. 2007 data should be available end of November 2008.
	Data are available at police force area level only.
	
		
			  Table A: Findings of guilt at magistrates courts for the offence of 'using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks( 1) , within Cambridgeshire police force area, the East of England and England and Wales, 2002-06 
			   Number of offences 
			   2002  2003( 2)  2004  2005  2006 
			 Cambridgeshire 2,298 2,728 2,678 2,827 3,430 
			 East of England 21,569 24,917 23,965 23,464 23,430 
			 England and Wales 288,499 323,367 322,814 287,198 265,749 
			 (1) An offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s. 143(2) (2) As from 1 June 2003, 'driving a motor vehicle while uninsured against third party risks' became a fixed penalty offence.  Notes: 1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences may be less than complete. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Findings of guilt at magistrates courts for the offence of driving without a licence( 1)  within Cambridgeshire police force area, the East of England and England and Wales, 2002-06 
			   Number of offences 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,265 1,399 1,591 1,649 1,826 
			 East of England 11,834 13,859 14,016 13,681 12,645 
			 England and Wales 170,910 196,848 207,040 183,788 160,727 
			 (1) An offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s. 87 (1) and (2) as amended.  Notes: 1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences may be less than complete. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Driving Offences: Mobile Phones

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drivers have been  (a) stopped by police,  (b) charged,  (c) convicted,  (d) fined and  (e) cautioned for driving while using a mobile phone in each police force area in each year since the ban came into force.

Alan Campbell: Information requested on the number of drivers stopped or charged for using hand held mobile phones while driving is not collected centrally. Data on court proceedings for the offence have been provided in lieu of charging.
	Available information taken from the Court proceedings Database held by the Ministry of Justice from 2003 to 2006 (latest available) is provided in table 1. 2007 data should be available end of November 2008.
	As the majority of 'use of hand held mobile phone while driving' offences are dealt with by the issue of a fixed penalty notice, data on the number issued are also included in table 2, covering the period from 2003 to 2006.
	
		
			  Table 1: Proceedings, findings of guilt and fines imposed at magistrates courts for the offence of use of hand held mobile phone while driving( 1,2)  by police force area, England and Wales, 2003-06 
			  Number of offences 
			   2003  2004 
			  Police force area  Total court proceedings( 2)  Total findings of guilt  Total number of court fines  Total court proceedings( 2)  Total findings of guilt  Total number of court fines 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 0 0 19 19 18 
			 Bedfordshire 1 1 1 5 5 5 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 0 0 7 6 6 
			 Cheshire 0 0 0 2 1 1 
			 Cleveland 0 0 0 4 3 3 
			 Cumbria 0 0 0 24 24 23 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 0 17 16 16 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 0 0 19 17 16 
			 Dorset 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Durham 0 0 0 1 1 1 
			 Essex 0 0 0 28 25 25 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 0 1 1 1 
			 Greater Manchester 0 0 0 73 65 64 
			 Hampshire 0 0 0 18 15 15 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 0 6 6 6 
			 Humberside 0 0 0 4 4 4 
			 Kent 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Lancashire 0 0 0 17 16 15 
			 Leicestershire 0 0 0 12 9 8 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 0 9 5 5 
			 London, City of 0 0 0 7 5 5 
			 Merseyside 0 0 0 22 20 10 
			 Metropolitan Police 0 0 0 203 124 116 
			 Norfolk 0 0 0 20 15 13 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Northumbria 0 0 0 32 29 26 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 0 18 18 16 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 0 8 7 6 
			 South Yorkshire 0 0 0 12 12 11 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 0 11 10 9 
			 Suffolk 0 0 0 7 4 4 
			 Surrey 0 0 0 9 7 7 
			 Sussex 0 0 0 1 1 1 
			 Thames Valley 0 0 0 24 21 20 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 0 7 7 7 
			 West Mercia 0 0 0 17 15 14 
			 West Midlands 0 0 0 61 52 46 
			 West Yorkshire 0 0 0 11 9 9 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 0 21 19 18 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 0 0 13 13 13 
			 Gwent 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Wales 0 0 0 3 3 3 
			 South Wales 0 0 0 16 12 11 
			
			 England and Wales 1 1 1 789 641 596 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of offences 
			   2005  2006 
			  Police force area  Total court proceedings( 2)  Total findings of guilt  Total number of court fines  Total court proceedings( 2)  Total findings of guilt  Total number of court fines 
			 Avon and Somerset 47 39 38 54 48 48 
			 Bedfordshire 16 13 13 76 62 60 
			 Cambridgeshire 19 19 19 52 46 42 
			 Cheshire 15 14 14 36 30 29 
			 Cleveland 7 7 6 20 16 14 
			 Cumbria 41 35 34 57 53 52 
			 Derbyshire 52 49 48 35 30 29 
			 Devon and Cornwall 27 25 24 52 42 39 
			 Dorset 3 3 1 4 3 2 
			 Durham 2 2 2 16 15 15 
			 Essex 64 53 46 71 65 60 
			 Gloucestershire 4 4 4 10 7 6 
			 Greater Manchester 154 136 124 183 158 144 
			 Hampshire 40 34 33 69 63 62 
			 Hertfordshire 70 64 61 65 52 51 
			 Humberside 25 22 21 45 39 35 
			 Kent 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Lancashire 48 46 39 62 48 44 
			 Leicestershire 28 26 20 26 24 16 
			 Lincolnshire 15 12 11 30 24 23 
			 London, City of 14 12 12 24 20 20 
			 Merseyside 27 23 14 46 41 27 
			 Metropolitan Police 658 545 496 685 588 541 
			 Norfolk 21 17 17 31 21 19 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Northumbria 22 20 20 98 89 84 
			 North Yorkshire 35 30 29 34 33 32 
			 Nottinghamshire 26 24 18 17 15 13 
			 South Yorkshire 25 21 17 43 32 30 
			 Staffordshire 21 21 19 19 16 16 
			 Suffolk 22 17 17 21 16 15 
			 Surrey 91 82 82 92 88 87 
			 Sussex 2 2 1 0 0 0 
			 Thames Valley 126 112 106 211 175 172 
			 Warwickshire 17 13 8 20 16 14 
			 West Mercia 59 50 48 88 74 70 
			 West Midlands 109 88 79 121 94 89 
			 West Yorkshire 47 38 36 52 37 29 
			 Wiltshire 29 22 21 38 32 32 
			 Dyfed-Powys 16 13 13 15 14 13 
			 Gwent 4 3 3 6 4 3 
			 North Wales 17 13 12 30 26 25 
			 South Wales 25 20 20 28 21 18 
			
			 England and Wales 2,090 1,789 1,646 2,682 2,277 2,120 
			 (1) Offences under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, Regulations 110(1), 110(2) and 110(3). Introduced 1 December 2003. (2) Includes cases where a fixed penalty notice was originally issued but not paid and subsequently referred to court.  Notes: 1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of fixed penalty notices issued for the use of a hand held mobile phone while driving( 1)  by police force area, England and Wales, 2003-06 
			   December 
			  Police force area  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			  England 
			 Avon and Somerset  1,902 2,502 2,666 
			 Bedfordshire 10 579 944 1,749 
			 Cambridgeshire  219 1,347 3,505 
			 Cheshire  2,689 2,891 4,985 
			 Cleveland 13 1,066 1,955 2,263 
			 Cumbria 13 528 1,021 1,412 
			 Derbyshire 13 978 1,501 2,718 
			 Devon and Cornwall 345 796 1,482 1,892 
			 Dorset  521 657 1.982 
			 Durham(2)  504 963 1,004 
			 Essex  2,431 4,369 6.857 
			 Gloucestershire 147 632 1,208 1,484 
			 Greater Manchester  8,166 12,904 16,386 
			 Hampshire 54 2,032 4,078 6,614 
			 Hertfordshire  2,526 3,923 4,614 
			 Humberside  381 1,202 1,924 
			 Kent 15 1,707 4,829 4,708 
			 Lancashire 34 1,719 3,079 3,937 
			 Leicestershire 17 759 254 1,109 
			 Lincolnshire 7 1,529 2,514 3,273 
			 London, City of 45 137 1,647 2,077 
			 Merseyside  1,836 5,684 8,800 
			 Metropolitan 681 13,581 18,035 22,640 
			 Norfolk(3) 17 887 904  
			 Northamptonshire 1 297 971 1,428 
			 Northumbria 56 1,271 2,409 3,248 
			 North Yorkshire 5 720 1,289 2,414 
			 Nottinghamshire  653 1,637 3,022 
			 South Yorkshire 28 1,978 3,978 3,109 
			 Staffordshire 12 264 2.346 2,416 
			 Suffolk 42 978 1,707 2,613 
			 Surrey 164 2,213 3,575 3,988 
			 Sussex  546 1,105 2,318 
			 Thames Valley 25 3,716 7.111 3,587 
			 Warwickshire  621 918 1,281 
			 West Mercia  2,200 5,246 6,842 
			 West Midlands 144 3,864 5,065 4,661 
			 West Yorkshire  2,368 4,272 4,997 
			 Wiltshire  700 1,226 2,185 
			 England 1,888 70,494 122,748 156,708 
			  
			  Wales 
			 Dyfed-Powys  363 628 950 
			 Gwent  517 938 1,404 
			 North Wales  999 424 3,083 
			 South Wales  1,603 2,030 2,765 
			  
			 Wales  3,482 4,020 8,202 
			  
			 England and Wales 1,888 73,976 126,768 164,910 
			 (1) Introduced 1 December 2003. (2) Revised figure provided for 2006. (3) Force unable to supply data for 2006 due to technical reasons.  Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Firearms: Crime

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many incidents of violence against the person involving a handgun were recorded  (a) in total and  (b) per 1,000 of the population for (i) England, (ii) the Avon and Somerset Constabulary area and (iii) Bath and North East Somerset in each year from 1997 to 2008;
	(2)  how many incidents of violence against the person where a fatality has occurred as a result of a handgun wound were recorded  (a) in total and  (b) per 1,000 of the population for (i) England, (ii) the Avon and Somerset Constabulary area and (iii) Bath and North East Somerset in each year from 1997 to 2008.

Alan Campbell: Available data relate to offences involving a handgun where the firearm was fired, used as a blunt instrument or used as a threat.
	Figures for England and Avon and Somerset police force area from 1997-98 up to and including 2006-07 are provided.
	
		
			  Table (A): Crimes in which a handgun was used( 1 ) and offences per 100,000 population: England and Avon and Somerset, 1997-98 to 2000-07 
			   England  Avon and Somerset 
			   Number of offences  Offences per 100,000 population  Number of offences  Offences per 100,000 population 
			 1997-98 2,620 5 40 3 
			 1998-99(2) 2,668 5 41 3 
			 1999-2000 3,672 7 54 4 
			 2000-01 4,095 8 77 5 
			 2001-02(3) 5,858 12 87 6 
			 2002-03 5,531 11 86 6 
			 2003-04 5,123 10 85 6 
			 2004-05 4,325 9 42 3 
			 2005-06 4,647 9 23 2 
			 2006-07 4,151 8 36 2 
			 (1 )By being fired, used as a blunt instrument or used as a threat. (2 )There was a change in the counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998. (3 )The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced on 1 April 2002. Figures for some crime categories may have been inflated by this. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table (B):Crimes in which a handgun was used( 1)  causing fatal injury and offences per 100,000 population: England and Avon and Somerset, 1997-98 to 2006-07 
			   England  Avon and Somerset 
			   Number of offences  Offences per 100,000 population  Number of offences  Offences per 100,000 population 
			 1997-98 33 0.07   
			 1998-99(2) 29 0.06 1 0.07 
			 1999-2000 42 0.08   
			 2000-01 48 0.10 2 0.13 
			 2001-02(3) 59 0.12   
			 2002-03 39 0.08 3 0.20 
			 2003-04 35 0.07 2 0.13 
			 2004-05 36 0.07   
			 2005-06 22 0.04   
			 2006-07 27 0.05   
			 (1 )By being fired, used as a blunt instrument or used as a threat (2 )There was a change in the counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998. (3 )The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced on 1 April 2002. Figures for some crime categories may have been inflated by this.

Genetics: Databases

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her most recent estimate is of the number of errors on the national DNA database; and how many and what percentage of the errors which were on the database in 2007 have been corrected.

Alan Campbell: It is not possible to estimate the number of erroneous records that may exist on the National DNA Database (NDNAD) and I refer my right hon. Friend to the reply given on 25 March 2008,  Official Report, column 71W, by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Office (Meg Hillier), in response to a question from him on the number of irregularities on the National DNA Database.
	About 13.3 per cent. of records on the NDNAD are estimated to be duplicates or replicates. These are not erroneous but are dealt with in this answer because of my right hon. Friend's previous reference to them as mistakes21 April 2008,  Official Report, column 1032W, refers.
	Replicate records can arise for a number of reasons but as they do not cause leads to be missed, or possible miscarriages of justice, they are not regarded as erroneous.

Genetics: Databases

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people aged under 18 who  (a) have not been convicted of any crime and  (b) have been convicted of a minor crime have their details stored on the national DNA database.

Alan Campbell: I refer my right hon. Friend to the written answer given to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 1 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1565W.
	No information is available on whether the crime for which the individual was convicted, cautioned, reprimanded or had received a final warning was minor or more serious and this could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Genetics: Databases

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of individuals from each police force area who have details stored on the National DNA Database have been found guilty of an offence.

Alan Campbell: The National DNA Database does not record convictions. That is done by the Police National Computer (PNC). When data was last obtained from PNC it showed that at 31 March 2008, 857,366 people on the National DNA Database did not have a current criminal record on the Police National Computer. However, this figure includes those who have been convicted and their records deleted, and those where proceedings are still ongoing, as well as those who have never been convicted. It would be possible to break this figure down by police force area only at disproportionate cost.

Illegal Immigrants: France

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assistance the Government provides to France on the policing of the French border of the Channel tunnel.

Vernon Coaker: The UK and French Governments and police organisations co-operate closely on policing of the channel tunnel. UK and French senior officials and police officers meet regularly in the Joint Security Committee (JSC), which is set up by the Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) to ensure continued comparability of security standards for the channel tunnel. Kent police provide a permanent police presence and response to the channel tunnel which is funded under the terms of the Channel Tunnel Act. Kent police, under joint arrangements, also maintain a permanent liaison office in Coquelles that provides direct engagement with the French authorities. Article 4 of the Sangatte treaty further mandates regular joint operational meetings between French and UK agencies. The safety and security of the channel tunnel is supported by other initiatives such as the annual exercise programme, the lead for which alternates between the UK and France.

Investigatory Powers Tribunal

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received on the effectiveness of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal in the last 12 months.

Vernon Coaker: The Secretary of State for the Home Department has not received any representations on the effectiveness of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.

Police National Computer: Access

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who is permitted to have access to the information contained on the police national computer.

Vernon Coaker: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the then Minister of state for security, counter-terrorism, crime and policing (Mr. McNulty), to the hon. Member for Monmouth (David T.C. Davies) on 5 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2672W.

Police: Olympic Games 2012

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what budgets police authorities have established for the cost of overtime and other expenses in connection with the policing of the 2012 London Olympics.

Vernon Coaker: Future budgets set by police authorities are a matter for the police authorities concerned. The Government are currently drawing up a detailed assessment of the likely additional security costs of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games.

Project Scope

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of  (a) Project Scope and  (b) Project Scope 2;
	(2)  how much her Department spent on the delivery of  (a) Project Scope and  (b) Project Scope 2;
	(3)  when the roll-out of  (a) Project Scope and  (b) Project Scope 2 will be completed; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Watson: I have been asked to reply.
	With regard to the effectiveness of the SCOPE programme I have nothing further to add to the words of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs during the recent debate on the Intelligence and Security Committee on 17 July 2008,  Official Report, column 498W.
	In respect of information requested concerning the costs associated with the programme, I refer to the answer given to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 6 November 2006,  Official Report, column 862W.
	We have informed our contractor for Phase 2 of SCOPE that a different approach to the delivery of those capabilities is needed. As a result we are discussing these implications with the contractor. The details of these discussions are commercially confidential and will remain so.

Research Development and Statistics Directorate: Publications

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bury St Edmunds of 26 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 445-6W, on the Research Development and Statistics Directorate: publications, if she will place in the Library a copy of the research on neighbourhood wardens, redacting any sensitive personal information.

Alan Campbell: A copy of the draft unpublished research report on Neighbourhood wardens: an evaluation of selected schemes will be placed in the Library as requested.

Roads: Accidents

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were  (a) prosecuted for and  (b) convicted of road accident fraud in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 3 November 2008
	The information requested is not collected centrally.

Sex Establishments: Licensing

Celia Barlow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether provisions to enable local authorities to license lap dancing clubs as sex encounter establishments will be included in the forthcoming Policing and Crime Reduction Bill.

Alan Campbell: Following a consultation with local authorities, the Home Secretary recently announced that the Government would take the necessary steps to give a stronger say to local people over the establishment of lap-dancing clubs in their area.
	The Government are considering various options, including whether to license such clubs as 'sex encounter establishments' as defined under the Local Authorities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 and will introduce legislation as soon as the parliamentary timetable allows.

Shoplifting

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many shoplifting offences were committed in the last period for which figures are available.

Alan Campbell: There were 290,625 offences recorded by the police in 2007-08. This represents a fall of 1 per cent. over the previous year.

Surveillance: Telecommunications

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many requests law enforcement agencies made to telephone and internet companies for details of  (a) telephone calls and  (b) internet use involving a public body authorised to require the disclosure of information under Part 3 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 in each year since 2001; which were the 20 public bodies in respect of which the most requests were made; and how many requests were made in respect of each of those 20 bodies.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 3 November 2008
	The number of requests for communications data under Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) is published in the Interception of Communications Commissioner's annual report. These figures were not collated before 2005 and are not broken down by agency, type of communication (i.e. telephone or internet) or the service provider.
	
		
			   Number 
			 1 January to 31 December 2007 519,260 
			 11 April 2006 to December 2006 253,557 
			 1 January 2005 to 31 March 2006 439,054 
		
	
	Part 3 of RIPA deals with investigation of electronic data protected by encryption. These provisions have only been in force since October 2007. To date, 26 section 49 notices have been served on individuals requiring them to disclose material protected by encryption in an intelligible form.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to Question 201880, tabled on 25 April 2008 on the deployment of police officers to prevent violent extremism.

Vernon Coaker: My predecessor replied to you on 23 June 2008,  Official Report, column 81W.

HEALTH

Venous Thromboembolism

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make risk assessments for venous thromboembolism mandatory for all patients on admission to hospital.

Ann Keen: We expect this venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk assessment policy to be adopted throughout the national health service (NHS). Currently, at the request of the Chief Medical Officer, the Chair of the national implementation group is visiting throughout the NHS to discuss with senior managers and doctors their strategies for implementing VTE risk assessment in their hospitals. We will be monitoring the position closely and formally reviewing the policy in a year's time.
	If there is inconsistency in, or lack of commitment to, implementation, we will consider making it mandatory to perform risk assessments.

GP-led Health Centres

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to introduce GP-led health centres across England; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Yes. Every local national health service (NHS) in England is in the process of procuring a new general practitioner (GP)-led health centre open 8 am to 8 pm, 365 days a year.
	People will be able to use the new services and remain registered with their own GP. This will increase choice and convenience for the public who tell us easier access to GP services is a top priority for further improvements to the NHS.

Exceptional Cases Panels

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will issue national guidance to primary care trusts on the composition and rules of procedure of exceptional cases panels.

Ben Bradshaw: Yes. We are developing both a set of principles and detailed guidance to support local decision making including exceptional cases panels. We expect to publish both the principles and the new guidance in the new year. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will be saying more on this in his statement.

Accident and Emergency Treatment

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the number and percentage of people attending hospital accident and emergency departments whose treatment could have been undertaken by a trained first aider.

Ben Bradshaw: No estimate has been made by the Department.
	However, it is sensible for the local NHS to minimise the number of avoidable accident and emergency attendances.

Computerised Patient Records

Richard Bacon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to permit GP practices to transfer computerised patient records electronically to another practice prior to the GP2GP system becoming operational.

Ben Bradshaw: The GP2GP service provides a secure method for transferring a patient's existing electronic health record when the patient first registers at a practice. Just under 60 per cent. of practices in England currently use this service and national health service Connecting for Health is working with suppliers to extend this service to more practices across England. Where practices do not yet have access to the GP2GP service, records may be transferred on paper or by a secure electronic medium approved by the primary care trust.

National Dementia Strategy

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on the national dementia strategy.

Phil Hope: A draft of the national dementia strategy was published on 19 June for consultation. The consultation closed on 11 September and we are currently considering all the responses received before deciding on the final shape of the strategy. We aim to publish the strategy by the end of the year.

Accident and Emergency Care: South-West

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of accident and emergency care standards in the South West; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The independent health watchdog, the Healthcare Commission, recently reported excellent performance in the Plymouth health community across all of the services providing emergency care, including ambulance, accident and emergency out-of-hours GP services, emergency care provided by GPs and minor injuries units. It also said the NHS was improving faster in the south west than in any other region of England.

Resource Allocation

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the allocation of NHS resources to those areas with the greatest health needs; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Revenue allocations to PCTs are made on the basis of a fair funding formula that directs funding towards those areas of greatest need. The aim of the formula is to ensure there is sufficient funding to provide equal access to equal need and reduce avoidable health inequalities.

Pharmacy Licences: 100-hour Rule

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects of the application of the 100 hour rule for granting pharmacy licences to supermarkets on the future of dispensing; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: Consultation on possible options for legislative reform in respect of pharmacies opening at least 100 hours per week, whether in supermarkets or elsewhere, began on 27 August 2008 and ends on 20 November 2008. The consultation document, Pharmacy in England: Building on strengthsdelivering the futureproposals for legislative change is available on the Department's website together with associated impact assessments and copies have been placed in the Library.

Pharmacy White Paper

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on the Pharmacy White Paper.

Phil Hope: Since we published our White Paper Pharmacy in England: Building on strengthsdelivering the future on 3 April 2008, the Department has received some 200 items of correspondence on this subject from hon. Members, Noble Lords, health professionals and members of the public up to 31 October 2008. In addition, consultation on proposals to reform the current legislative arrangements for NHS pharmaceutical services as promised in the White Paper began on 27 August 2008 and closes on 20 November 2008. The Department is receiving many representations as part of this consultation.

PCT Funding Formula: North Yorkshire

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to revise the funding formula for allocations to primary care trusts in North Yorkshire for 2009-10.

Ben Bradshaw: The Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA) has recently reviewed the PCT funding formula. The new formula will inform revenue allocations post 2008-09. The allocations will be published alongside the operating framework later this year. ACRA's report of its review will also be published at this time.

NHS Treatment: Overseas Visitors

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what checks are made on the eligibility of overseas visitors for NHS treatment.

Dawn Primarolo: NHS hospitals have a legal duty to establish eligibility to free hospital treatment for all overseas visitors. They consider whether exemption from charge categories listed within these regulations apply, based on the evidence provided by the patient. If patients are not exempt, hospitals make and recover charges from them.

Resource Allocation Review

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on his Department's resource allocation review; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA) has completed its review of the PCT funding formula. The new formula will inform revenue allocations post 2008-09. The allocations will be published alongside the operating framework later this year. ACRA's report of its review will also be published at this time.

Business Rates

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the sum his Department will pay in business rates in respect of its empty property in England in 2008.

Ben Bradshaw: It is currently estimated that 198,000 will be paid by the Department in empty business rates in 2008-09. The Department is actively seeking to dispose of its interest in the properties concerned.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of the partial regulatory impact assessment on the Prohibition of Abortion (England and Wales) Bill of Session 2005-06; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: This document has already been placed in the Library.

Alcoholic Drinks

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on his Department's proposals for a mandatory code of practice for the alcohol industry; and if he will make a statement. [Official Report, 13 November 2008, Vol. 482, c. 5MC.]

Dawn Primarolo: More than 3,300 representations have been received and are still being logged and analysed. These will be considered carefully.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of visits to accident and emergency departments related to patients requiring treatment where the primary or secondary diagnosis was excessive alcohol consumption in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by the NHS on drugs to combat alcohol dependency in each of the last 10 years.

Dawn Primarolo: There are a number of drugs that can be used to treat, or that are used in the treatment of alcohol dependency. However, the vast majority of these drugs are used to treat a range of other conditions and data on their use cannot be broken down to show use by disease group, therefore providing these data would be misleading.
	However, disulfiram (Antabuse) and acamprosate (Campral) are used only in the treatment of alcohol dependency and the following table gives the cost of prescriptions of these drugs over the last 10 years.
	
		
			
			   NIC( 1)  of disulfiram and acamprosate 
			 1998 1,078,184 
			 1999 1,309,572 
			 2000 1,900,413 
			 2001 1,808,409 
			 2002 1,620,725 
			 2003 1,722,589 
			 2004 1,828,429 
			 2005 1,961,854 
			 2006 2,143,146 
			 2007 2,248,294 
			 (1) Net Ingredient Cost is the basic cost of a drug. It does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charges income.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the incidence of alcohol and cocaine poly-addiction.

Dawn Primarolo: The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse's National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS), collects local data about individuals in structured drug treatment and the treatment they receive.
	The NDTMS reports that in 2007-08, 7,497 individuals, in specialist drug treatment, reported cocaine as one of their top three problem substances, with alcohol as either a second or third problem substance at the point of triage/initial assessment.
	The NDTMS only records data for clients in specialist drug treatment in England and it excludes those whose primary problem is with alcohol.
	Since April 2008, all providers of specialist alcohol treatment have been asked to submit data to the NTA's National Alcohol Treatment Monitoring System on clients receiving specialist treatment for their alcohol misuse, however, these data are not currently robust enough for reporting purposes. Therefore, it is likely that the figure above underestimates the number of individuals addicted to both alcohol and cocaine in England.
	It is only possible to collect data on those individuals who are addicted to both alcohol and cocaine when they enter treatment, therefore the data above take no account of those with poly-addiction who were not participating in treatment.

Alzheimer's Disease: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) West Hertfordshire Hospital Trust in each of the last 10 years.

Phil Hope: The national Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) records the number of people recorded on practice disease registers with a diagnosis of dementia. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 50-75 per cent. of cases of dementia so the count of patients with dementia gives an indication of the number with Alzheimer's disease. This register count is available only for the two latest releases of QOF, covering 2006-07 and 2007-08.
	We are unable to supply this information for Hemel Hempstead as the data are only available for practices but can be aggregated to primary care trust (PCT) level. We have supplied information for the health area that best fits Hemel Hempstead, namely West Hertfordshire PCT.
	These QOF figures are given in table 1. They are the totals for patients with dementia.
	
		
			  Table 1: QOF datanumber of patients on the dementia disease registersWest Hertfordshire PCT 
			  Financial year  Number 
			 2007-08 2,030 
			 2006-07 1,996 
			  Notes: 1. QOF is the national Quality and Outcomes Framework, introduced as part of the new General Medical Services (GMS) contract on 1 April 2004. 2. Participation by practices in the QOF is voluntary, though participation rates are very high, with most Personal Medical Services (PMS) practices also taking part. 3. The published QOF information was derived from the Quality Management Analysis System (QMAS), a national system developed by NHS Connecting for Health. 4. QMAS uses data from general practices to calculate individual practices' QOF achievement. QMAS is a national IT system developed by NHS Connecting for Health to support the QOF. 5. The system calculates practice achievement against national targets. It gives general practices, primary care trusts (PCTs) and strategic health authorities (SHAs) objective evidence and feedback on the quality of care delivered to patients. 6. The Quality Management Analysis System captures the number of patients on the various disease registers for each practice. The number of patients on the clinical registers can be used to calculate measures of disease prevalence, expressing the number of patients on' each register as a percentage of the number of patients on practices' lists. 7. Figures presented here are just the number of patients on the disease register for dementia.  Source: The data supplied in table 1 are published on the website of the Information Centre for health and social care. (a) For 2007-08 see the Quality and Outcomes Framework 2007/08 publication data tables at the following link (published 30 September 2008). http://www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/supporting-information/audits-and-performance/the-quality-and-outcomes-framework/qof-2007/08/data-tables The table for PCT level QOF for 2007-08 can be found at this link: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/QOF/2007-08/NewFilesGS/QOF0708_PCTs_Prevalence.xls This publication has already been placed in the Library. (b) For 2006-07 see Quality and Outcomes Framework 2006/07 publication data tables at the following link (published 28 September 2007). http://www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/supporting-information/audits-and-performance/the-quality-and-outcomes-framework/qof-2006/07/qof-2006-07-data-tables The table for PCT level QOF for 2006-07 can be found at this link: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/QOF/2006-07/QOF0607_PCTs_Prevalence.xls This publication has already been placed in the Library. 
		
	
	QOF information is not available for hospital trusts. Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are available and give the number of finished consultant episodes in which the patient had a primary or secondary diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, shown in table 2.
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of finished consultant episodes in which the patient had a primary or secondary diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (International Classification of Diseases: ICD-10 = G30) by selected providers of treatment 
			   St. Albans and Hemel Hempstead NHS Trust and Mount Vernon and Watford Hospital  West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust 
			 1997-98 112  
			 1998-99 95  
			 1999-2000 89  
			 2000-01  89 
			 2001-02  116 
			 2002-03  124 
			 2003-04  139 
			 2004-05  149 
			 2004-05  156 
			 2006-07  191 
			  Notes: 1. West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust was set up in 2000-01 by merging St. Albans and Hemel Hempstead NHS Trust and RQL Mount Vernon and Watford Hospital. Therefore figures prior to 2000-01 were provided as the total of RPW and RQL.  2. Numbers provided are for finished consultant episodes and for cases for patients admitted to NHS hospitals only. They do not represent the number of people as one person can have more than one episode during the year. They also do not represent the prevalence of people with Alzheimer's disease. 3. A finished consultant episode (FCE) is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which the FCE finishes. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year. 4. Primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital. 5. Secondary diagnoses, as well as the primary diagnosis, there are up to 13 (six prior to 2002-03) secondary diagnosis fields in Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) that show other diagnoses relevant to the episode of care. 6. Number of episodes in which the patient had a (named) primary diagnosis: these figures represent the number of episodes where the diagnosis was recorded in the primary diagnosis field in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. 7. Number of episodes in which the patient had a (named) primary or secondary diagnosis: these figures represent the number of episodes where the diagnosis was recorded in any of the 14 (seven prior to 2002-03) primary and secondary diagnosis fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. Each episode is only counted once in each count, even if the diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record.  8. Small numbers: due to reasons of confidentiality, figures between one and five have been suppressed and replaced with * (an asterisk). Where it was possible to identify numbers from the total due to a single suppressed number in a row or column, an additional number (the next smallest) has been suppressed in order to protect patient confidentiality.  9. Data Quality: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. Data are also received from a number of independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. 10. Assessing growth through time: HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. During the years that these records have been collected by the NHS there have been ongoing improvements in quality and coverage. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. 11. Some of the increase in figures for later years (particularly 2006-07 onwards) may be due to the improvement in the coverage of independent sector activity. 12. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example, a number of procedures may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and may no longer be accounted for in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), the NHS Information Centre for health and social care

Attendance Allowance

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many individuals over the age of 65 applied for attendance allowance but did not satisfy the six month qualifying period in 2007-08.

Rosie Winterton: I have been asked to reply.
	The information is not available.

Cancer: Drugs

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, columns 447-48W, on the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), for what reasons final NICE guidance on MabThera (rituximab) for untreated stage III or IV follicular lymphoma was issued before the date on which NICE started its appraisal; and for what reasons the appraisal of Tarceva (erlotinib) in lung cancer (non-small cell) will begin four years after its referral to NICE.

Dawn Primarolo: There were typographical errors in the response to the earlier question. These errors have been corrected in the following table, which has also been updated to reflect the fact that final guidance for one of the appraisals has now been published.
	
		
			  Topic  Work programme  Published/ongoing  Date of marketing authorisation( 1)  Referral date( 2)  Date of final NICE guidance  Start of NICE appraisal( 3) 
			 Xolair (omalizumab) for uncontrolled asthma 8 Published October 2005 April 2003 November 2007 November 2006 
			 Remicade (infliximab) for psoriasis 8 Published September 2005 April 2003 January 2008 March 2007 
			 Natrecor (nesiritide), Heart failure (acute decompensated) 9 Ongoing n/a October 2003 n/a October 2003 
			 Erbitux (cetuximab), Head and neck cancer 10 Published March 2006 June 2004 June 2008 June 2006 
			 Iressa (gefitinib), lung cancer (non-small cell) 10 Ongoing n/a June 2004 n/a January 2009 
			 Tysabri (natalizumab) for the treatment of multiple sclerosis 10 Published June 2006 June 2004 August 2007 September 2006 
			 Alimta (pemetrexed) for mesothelioma 10 Published September 2004 June 2004 January 2008 April 2005 
			 Erbitux (cetuximab) for head and neck cancer 10 Published March 2006 June 2004 June 2008 June 2006 
			 Campto (irinotecan), colon cancer (adjuvant) 10 Ongoing n/a June 2004 n/a n/a 
			 Mabthera (rituximab) for untreated stage III or IV follicular lymphoma(4) 11 Published August 2004 April 2005 February 2008 April 2007 
			 Taxol (paclitaxel) for early node-positive breast cancer 11 Published March 2005 April 2005 September 2006 November 2005 
			 Taxotere (docetaxel) for early node-positive breast cancer 11 Published March 2006 April 2005 September 2006 November 2005 
			 Gemzar (gemcitabine) for metastatic breast cancer 11 Published September 2004 April 2005 January 2007 February 2006 
			 Fludara (fludarabine) for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia 11 Published February 2003 April 2005 February 2007 February 2006 
			 Alimta (pemetrexed) for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer 11 Published September 2004 April 2005 August 2007 April 2006 
			 Tarceva (erlotinib), lung cancer (non-small cell) 11 Ongoing September 2005 April 2005 n/a March 2006 
			 Idraparinux sodium, atrial fibrillation 12 Ongoing n/a July 2006 n/a July 2006 
			 Arava (leflunomide), psoriatic arthritis (moderate to severe) 12 Ongoing June 2004 July 2006 n/a July 2006 
			 Idraparinux sodium, venous thromboembolism (recurrent) 12 Ongoing n/a July 2006 n/a July 2006 
			 Herceptin (trastuzumab) for early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer 12 Published May 2006 July 2005 August 2006 December 2005 
			 Alteplase (Actilyse) for the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke 12 Published June 2002 July 2006 June 2007 September 2006 
			 Champix (varenicline) for smoking cessation 12 Published September 2006 July 2006 July 2007 November 2006 
			 Humira (adalimumab) for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis 12 Published August 2005 July 2005 August 2007 September 2006 
			 MabThera (rituximab) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis 12 Published July 2006 July 2005 August 2007 September 2006 
			 Velcade (bortezomib) for multiple myeloma 12 Published April 2004 July 2005 October 2007 December 2005 
			 Orencia (abatacept) for rheumatoid arthritis 12 Published May 2007 July 2006 April 2008 October 2006 
			 Tyverb (lapatinib), breast cancer (advanced or metastatic) 13 Ongoing June 2008 December 2006 n/a February 2007 
			 Cimzia (certolizumab), rheumatoid arthritis 13 Ongoing n/a December 2006 n/a December 2006 
			 Remicade (infliximab), ulcerative colitis (acute exacerbations) 13 Ongoing February 2006 December 2006 n/a March 2007 
			 Remicade (infliximab) for ulcerative colitis 13 Published February 2006 December 2006 April 2008 March 2007 
			 Acomplia (rimonabant) for obesity 13 Published June 2006 December 2006 June 2008 June 2007 
			 Baraclude (entecavir), Hepatitis B 14 Published June 2006 June 2007 August 2008 September 2007 
			 Sebivo (telbivudine), Hepatitis B 14 Published April 2007 June 2007 August 2008 September 2007 
			 Adenuric (febuxostat), hyperuricaemia 14 Ongoing April 2008 June 2007 n/a August 2007 
			 Humira (adalimumab) for the chronic psoriasis 14 Published December 2007 June 2007 June 2008 July 2007 
			 Ixabepilone, breast cancer (locally advanced or metastatic) 15 Ongoing n/a December 2007 n/a July 2008 
			 Erbitux (cetuximab), colorectal cancer (first line) 15 Ongoing July 2008 December 2007 n/a January 2008 
			 Erbitux (cetuximab), lung cancer (non-small cell) 15 Ongoing n/a December 2007 n/a October 2008 
			 Revlimid (lenalidomide), multiple myeloma 15 Ongoing June 2007 December 2007 n/a April 2008 
			 Xeloda (capectitabine), pancreatic cancer 15 Ongoing n/a December 2007 n/a June 2009 
			 Pradaxa (dabigatran), venous thromboembolism 15 Published March 2008 December 2007 September 2008 January 2008 
			 Erbitux (cetuximab), head and neck cancer (squamous cell carcinoma) 16 Ongoing March 2006 March 2008 n/a March 2008 
			 Effient (prasugrel), acute coronary artery syndrome 17 Ongoing n/a June 2008 n/a November 2008 
			 Viread (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate), Hepatitis B 17 Ongoing April 2008 June 2008 n/a August 2008 
			 Nexavar (sorafenib), hepatocellular carcinoma (advanced and metastatic) 17 Ongoing October 2007 June 2008 n/a August 2008 
			 Orencia (abatacept), juvenile idiopathic arthritis 17 Ongoing May 2007 June 2008 n/a January 2009 
			 Humira (adalimumab), juvenile idiopathic arthritis 17 Ongoing n/a June 2008 n/a September 2008 
			 Sprycel (dasatinib), leukaemia (acute lymphoblastic) 17 Ongoing November 2006 June 2008 n/a July 2008 
			 Temodal (temoazolomide), melanoma (advanced and metastatic 17 Ongoing June 2005 June 2008 n/a March 2009 
			 Mifamurtide, Osteosarcoma 17 Ongoing n/a June 2008 n/a August 2008 
			 Romiplostim, thrombocytompenic pupura 17 Ongoing n/a June 2008 n/a August 2008 
			 Promacta (eltrombopag), thrombocytopenic purpura 17 Ongoing n/a June 2008 n/a March 2009 
			 Xarelto (rivaroxaban), venous thromboembolism 17 Ongoing n/a June 2008 n/a August 2008 
			 Azacitidine, acute myelomonocytic leukaemia and acute myeloid leukaemia 18 Ongoing n/a July 2008 n/a January 2009 
			 Xeloda (capecitabine), advanced gastric cancer 18 Ongoing January 2008 July 2008 n/a December 2008 
			 Relistor (methylnaltrexone) opioid-induced constipation in patients receiving palliative care 18 Ongoing July 2008 July 2008 n/a February 2009 
			 Datiros (alitretinoin), severe chronic hand eczema 18 Ongoing n/a July 2008 n/a October 2008 
			 Alimta (pemetrexed), locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer 18 Ongoing April 2008 July 2008 n/a June 2009 
			 Mabthera (rituximab), relapsed treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia 18 Ongoing n/a July 2008 n/a September 2009 
			 Mabthera (rituximab), chronic lymphocytic leukaemia 18 Ongoing n/a July 2008 n/a September 2008 
			 Sutent (sunitinib), gastrointestinal stromal tumours 18 Ongoing July 2006 July 2008 n/a August 2008 
			 Actemra (tocillizumab), rheumatoid arthritis 18 Ongoing n/a July 2008 n/a November 2008 
			 Hycamtin (topotecan), carcinoma of the cervix 18 Ongoing n/a July 2008 n/a December 2008 
			 Yondelis (trabectedin), advanced metastatic soft tissue sarcoma 18 Ongoing September 2007 July 2008 n/a September 2008 
			 Ustekinumab, moderate to severe psoriasis 18 Ongoing n/a July 2008 n/a November 2008 
			 (1) Date of marketing authorisation by European Medicines Agency (EMEA). (2) Topics before the 13 work programme were originally referred to NICE's Multiple Technology Appraisal (MTA) programme and were transferred to the STA programme when it was introduced in August 2006. The date provided is the date the topic was originally referred to NICE as a Multiple Technology Appraisal. (3) The date NICE commenced work on the appraisal. NICE will also have carried out scoping work for the appraisal before this date. (4) Guidance has been reviewed since the original guidance was published. The date of final guidance and date NICE started work on the appraisal refer to the review.

Care Homes: Abuse

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many incidents of  (a) abuse and  (b) neglect of patients by health and social care staff have been recorded in each region in each of the last five years.

Phil Hope: The information requested is not held centrally.

Care Homes: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nursing homes have been inspected in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire in each year since 2000.

Phil Hope: The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) took over the work of National Care Standards Commission on 1 April 2004. I am informed by the CSCI that the information shown in the table for nursing homes is only available from 2004. The information is also not collected for Hemel Hempstead separately and is only collected for the Hertfordshire council area.
	
		
			  Number of nursing homes subject to inspection by CSCI in each year in the Hertfordshire council area 
			  Type of home  31 March 2004  31 March 2005  31 March 2006  31 March 2007  31 March2008 
			 Care home with nursing 52 54 56 56 54 
			 Total 276 283 290 293 290

Care Homes: Hillingdon

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nursing homes inspected by the Commission for Social Care Inspection in  (a) the London Borough of Hillingdon and  (b) Uxbridge constituency received a (i) 0, (ii) 1, (iii) 2 and (iv) 3 star rating in each year since 2000.

Phil Hope: We are informed by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) that CSCI can only provide the information requested from May 2008, when the star rating system was launched.
	The following tables show star ratings for nursing homes in Hillingdon. CSCI does not collect data for Uxbridge, which is not a council with adult social services responsibility area.
	
		
			  Star ratings of nursing homes in Hillingdon 
			   0 starspoor  One staradequate  Two starsgood  Three starsexcellent  Total stars 
			 8 May 2008 0 4 10 1 15 
			  Source: CSCI database static cut 8 May 2008 
		
	
	
		
			   0 starspoor  One staradequate  Two starsgood  Three starsexcellent  Total stars 
			 28 October 2008 1 1 12 1 15 
			  Source: CSCI database 28 October 2008

Care Homes: Hillingdon

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nursing homes were inspected in  (a) the London Borough of Hillingdon and  (b) Uxbridge constituency in each year since 2000.

Phil Hope: The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) took over the work of National Care Standards Commission on 1 April 2004. We are informed by the CSCI that the information shown in the following table for nursing homes is only available from 2004. The information is also not collected for Uxbridge separately and is only collected for the Hillingdon council area.
	
		
			  Number of nursing homes subject to inspection by CSCI in each year in the Hillingdon council area 
			  As at 31 March:  Care home with nursing (number) 
			 2004 14 
			 2005 14 
			 2006 14 
			 2007 15 
			 2008 15 
			  Source: CSCI database (static cut taken 2 May 2008)

Continuing Care

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people receive continuing care funding in each primary care trust area; and of those how many have been diagnosed with some form of dementia.

Phil Hope: Information on the number of people receiving continuing care, broken down by primary care trust, has been placed in the Library.
	The number of people diagnosed with dementia and receiving continuing care is not collected.

Dementia: Research

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1348W, on dementia: drugs, what the reasons are for the time taken to publish the national dementia strategy.

Phil Hope: The Department has had to take into account the views expressed at over 50 consultation events and in over 500 written responses received. The Department also need to take into account all the financial implications before the final strategy and implementation plan are published. A great deal of work is involved and this has taken longer than had been originally been anticipated.

Dementia: Research

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much Government funding was provided for medical research into dementia in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08; and what percentage of the health research budget this represented in each year.

Phil Hope: National health service support for degenerative neurological disorder research and National Institute for Health Research investment in dementia research amounted in 2006-07 to 22.8 million. The Medical Research Council (MRC) spent 6.4 million on dementia research in the same year. This total expenditure of 29.2 million amounts to some 2.5 per cent. of the combined Departmental research and development and MRC budgets for the year.
	A complete set of dementia research expenditure data for 2007-08 is not yet available.

Departmental Advertising

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Fareham of 3 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 1288-90W, on departmental advertising, if he will provide a detailed breakdown of the cost to his Department of public health awareness campaign advertising in the 2007-08 financial year.

Dawn Primarolo: The following table shows the advertising expenditure on public health awareness campaigns in the 2007-08 financial year.
	
		
			  Public health awareness advertising campaigns financial year 2007-08 
			million 
			 Sexual Health 2.9 
			 Smokefree Legislation 4.1 
			 Tobacco Cessation 12.0 
			 Flu Immunisation 1.0 
			 Antibiotics 0.4 
			 Hepatitis C 1.3 
			 Respiratory and Hand Hygiene 0.4 
			 Drugs(1) 0.3 
			 Alcohol(1) 0.5 
			 (1) Department of Health contribution to campaign run jointly with Home Office

Departmental Public Participation

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many citizens' juries his Department has held since 1 July 2007; what the cost was of each; what issues were discussed at each event; and how many  (a) Ministers and  (b) members of the public attended each event.

Ben Bradshaw: Since July 2007, the Department has run two day-long sets of deliberative events, or citizens' juries, in nine strategic health authority (SHA) areas as part of the engagement programme of the NHS Next Stage Review. The purpose of the events was to hear the views of staff, patients and stakeholders to feed into the review.
	With regard to the first event on 18 September 2007, I refer the right hon. Member to the written answer given to her on 30 October 2007,  Official Report, column 1219W. Summaries of the discussions and those who attended are available on the review's website at:
	http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publications/PublicationsPolicy AndGuidance/DH_086529
	The second day of deliberative events in the nine SHA regions was held on 24 January 2008 and comprised of a total of 999 people, of which, two thirds of the participants in each region were patients and public, with one third staff. The total cost of these events was 1,014,506.76.
	Lead clinicians in each SHA gave an overview of the key points in Lord Darzi's interim report and also presented a summary of some of the emerging findings of their local work on the clinical pathways. The day was composed of a mix of table discussions, presentations and films for information, plus electronic polling on key questions on the pathways.
	The findings from the second day of events also fed into the Engagement Analysis report, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

Drugs: Misuse

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of children under the age of 11 years in England have a parent who has had contact with a drug service, as recorded by Drug Action Team statistics in  (a) Nottinghamshire and  (b) England.  [Official Report, 18 December 2008, Vol. 485, c. 9MC.]

Dawn Primarolo: The National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) collects data from drug services about clients in structured drug treatment and the treatment they receive, these include whether the client being treated is a parent of a child aged 16 or under or is living with a child aged 16 or under.
	The number of clients in Nottinghamshire, in structured drug treatment in 2007-08, who are parents of a child aged 16 or under, or who are living with a child aged 16 or under is given in the following table, along with the total number of such clients for the whole of England. However, these are relatively new data items, whose collection started in April 2006, and as such are not as complete as other NDTMS data, therefore the following figures must be treated as indicative only.
	
		
			   Nottinghamshire  England 
			 Clients who are parents 1,386 62,658 
			 Clients who are living with children 569 62,129 
		
	
	It is important to note that:
	clients who are parents of children aged 16 or under may not be currently living with their child, i.e. the child may be living with the client's partner, living with other family member or be in care;
	clients who are living with a child may not be the child's parent; and
	it is possible that there is overlap between these two groups.
	Additionally, Nottinghamshire County Drug and Alcohol Action Team recently published a needs assessment on young people and drug treatment, estimating there to be 2,424 children and young people with parents in drug treatment during 2006-07 and up to 22,000 children and young people with parents with problematic alcohol use. A copy of the needs assessment has been placed in the Library. These are local estimates, not verified National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) data.
	Following the focus on drug-using parents in the new drug strategy Drugs: protecting families and communities (2008), published by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, the NTA will be working with local drugs partnerships to improve the services available to parents who misuse drugs. Partnerships will receive local information on drug treatment clients who are parents, which they will be able to use in their treatment planning to help improve local service provision to this client group.

General Practitioners: Pharmacy

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of GP practices in each primary care trust area are allowed to dispense medicines.

Phil Hope: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Primary Care Trust (PCT)  Dispensing practices  Proportion of dispensing practices (percentage) 
			 Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT 0 0 
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT 0 0 
			 Barnet PCT 0 0 
			 Barnsley PCT 5 13 
			 Bassetlaw PCT 4 36 
			 Bath and North East Somerset PCT 6 22 
			 Bedfordshire PCT 8 36 
			 Berkshire East PCT 2 4 
			 Berkshire West PCT 11 21 
			 Bexley Care Trust 0 0 
			 Birmingham East and North PCT 0 0 
			 Blackburn with Darwen PCT 0 0 
			 Blackpool PCT 0 0 
			 Bolton PCT 0 0 
			 Bournemouth and Poole PCT 1 2 
			 Bradford and Airedale PCT 2 3 
			 Brent Teaching PCT 0 0 
			 Brighton and Hove City PCT 0 0 
			 Bristol PCT 0 0 
			 Bromley PCT 0 0 
			 Buckinghamshire PCT 15 26 
			 Bury PCT 0 0 
			 Calderdale PCT 1 3 
			 Cambridgeshire PCT 39 57 
			 Camden PCT 0 0 
			 Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT 7 13 
			 Central Lancashire PCT 2 2 
			 City and Hackney Teaching PCT 0 0 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT 37 54 
			 County Durham PCT 18 27 
			 Coventry Teaching PCT 1 2 
			 Croydon PCT 0 0 
			 Cumbria PCT 15 23 
			 Darlington PCT 2 18 
			 Derby City PCT 0 0 
			 Derbyshire County PCT 23 24 
			 Devon PCT 32 30 
			 Doncaster PCT 4 10 
			 Dorset PCT 27 46 
			 Dudley PCT 0 0 
			 Ealing PCT 0 0 
			 East and North Hertfordshire PCT 11 18 
			 East Lancashire PCT 4 8 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire PCT 16 44 
			 East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT 6 27 
			 Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT 20 19 
			 Enfield PCT 0 0 
			 Gateshead PCT 3 9 
			 Gloucestershire PCT 28 35 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT 7 27 
			 Greenwich Teaching PCT 0 0 
			 Halton and St Helens PCT 0 0 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 0 0 
			 Hampshire PCT 30 21 
			 Haringey Teaching PCT 0 0 
			 Harrow PCT 0 0 
			 Hartlepool PCT 0 0 
			 Hastings and Rother PCT 9 26 
			 Havering PCT 0 0 
			 Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT 0 0 
			 Herefordshire PCT 10 45 
			 Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT 0 0 
			 Hillingdon PCT 0 0 
			 Hounslow PCT 0 0 
			 Hull PCT 1 2 
			 Isle of Wight Healthcare PCT 1 6 
			 Islington PCT 0 0 
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT 0 0 
			 Kingston PCT 0 0 
			 Kirklees PCT 3 4 
			 Knowsley PCT 0 0 
			 Lambeth PCT 0 0 
			 Leeds PCT 8 8 
			 Leicester City PCT 0 0 
			 Leicestershire County and Rutland PCT 20 24 
			 Lewisham PCT 0 0 
			 Lincolnshire PCT 56 77 
			 Liverpool PCT 0 0 
			 Luton Teaching PCT 1 3 
			 Manchester PCT 0 0 
			 Medway Teaching PCT 5 9 
			 Mid Essex PCT 25 52 
			 Middlesbrough PCT 0 0 
			 Milton Keynes PCT 0 0 
			 Newcastle PCT 0 0 
			 Newham PCT 0 0 
			 Norfolk PCT 59 66 
			 North East Essex PCT 16 40 
			 North East Lincolnshire PCT 5 16 
			 North Lancashire PCT 5 18 
			 North Lincolnshire PCT 8 47 
			 North Somerset PCT 2 9 
			 North Staffordshire PCT 10 30 
			 North Tyneside PCT 1 4 
			 North Yorkshire and York PCT 57 57 
			 Northamptonshire PCT 23 32 
			 Northumberland Care Trust 16 36 
			 Nottingham City PCT 0 0 
			 Nottinghamshire County PCT 15 16 
			 Oldham PCT 0 0 
			 Oxfordshire PCT 17 32 
			 Peterborough PCT 10 32 
			 Plymouth Teaching PCT 1 2 
			 Portsmouth City Teaching PCT 0 0 
			 Redbridge PCT 0 0 
			 Redcar and Cleveland PCT 2 13 
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 0 0 
			 Rotherham PCT 4 11 
			 Salford PCT 0 0 
			 Sandwell PCT 0 0 
			 Sefton PCT 0 0 
			 Sheffield PCT 2 2 
			 Shropshire County PCT 19 45 
			 Solihull PCT 0 0 
			 Somerset PCT 19 32 
			 South Birmingham PCT 0 0 
			 South East Essex PCT 2 3 
			 South Gloucestershire PCT 4 14 
			 South Staffordshire PCT 16 18 
			 South Tyneside PCT 0 0 
			 South West Essex PCT 5 7 
			 Southampton City PCT 0 0 
			 Southwark PCT 0 0 
			 Stockport PCT 0 0 
			 Stockton-on-Tees Teaching 1 4 
			 Stoke on Trent PCT 1 2 
			 Suffolk PCT 41 60 
			 Sunderland Teaching PCT 0 0 
			 Surrey PCT 14 10 
			 Sutton and Merton PCT 0 0 
			 Swindon PCT 4 14 
			 Tameside and Glossop PCT 0 0 
			 Telford and Wrekin PCT 1 5 
			 Torbay Care Trust 0 0 
			 Tower Hamlets PCT 0 0 
			 Trafford PCT 0 0 
			 Wakefield District PCT 6 17 
			 Walsall Teaching PCT 1 2 
			 Waltham Forest PCT 0 0 
			 Wandsworth PCT 0 0 
			 Warrington PCT 1 4 
			 Warwickshire PCT 9 25 
			 West Essex PCT 12 32 
			 West Hertfordshire PCT 4 6 
			 West Kent PCT 35 34 
			 West Sussex PCT 16 20 
			 Western Cheshire PCT 8 24 
			 Westminster PCT 0 0 
			 Wiltshire PCT 21 34 
			 Wirral PCT 0 0 
			 Wolverhampton City PCT 0 0 
			 Worcestershire PCT 22 34 
			  Source: Primary Care Trust Exeter payment systems (2006-07)

General Practitioners: Pharmacy

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) minimum,  (b) maximum and  (c) average payment made to GPs in each primary care trust area for the purpose of dispensing medicines was in the most recent period for which information is available.

Phil Hope: Information is not collected centrally on minima or maxima average payments made to general practitioners (GPs) in each primary care trust for dispensing medicines. Overall dispensing GPs earned on average 126,996 in 2006-07, 23,000 more than non dispensing GPs.

General Practitioners: Pharmacy

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are being considered to provide elderly patients with limited mobility who live in remote rural areas with access to dispensing facilities where GP dispensaries are closed.

Phil Hope: The pharmacy consultation paper Pharmacy in England: Building on Strengthsdelivering the futureproposals for legislative change was published on 27 August 2008. As part of this consultation, we have put forward options for possible reform of general practitioner dispensing arrangements on which we are seeking views. We have no preferred option at this stage nor have we come to a view as to whether any reform of these particular arrangements is necessary. However, any decisions will seek to protect the access to medicines for vulnerable members of the community.

Health Services: International Co-operation

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what process the mandate he gives his officials for international negotiations on areas of policy which are not the subject of settled Government policy is determined.

Dawn Primarolo: UK Government positions for negotiations that the Department leads are agreed in advance. This process involves other Government Departments with an interest and takes account of prior consultation with stakeholders.
	All UK positions on international health should reflect the goals and principles in Health is Globalthe Government's Global Health Strategy published on 30 September. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Hepatitis

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 422W, on hepatitis, how many notifications of hepatitis B were made to the Health Protection Agency and its predecessor bodies in each year since 1997, broken down by strategic health authority area.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Statutory notifications of hepatitis B in England by strategic health authority: 1997 to 2007 
			  S trategic health authority (SHA)
			  Current  Previous  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 East Midlands Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Rutland 21 22 33 33 17 28 24 28 36 77 65 
			  Trent 8 25 20 35 26 35 28 16 32 26 28 
			  
			 East of England Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 15 13 24 38 48 66 51 59 59 14 8 
			  Essex 6 4 3 7 8 6 3   3 3 
			  Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 4 8 19 17 3 5 9 12 17 8 7 
			  
			 London North Central London 30 55 37 39 30 27 44 27 16 24 28 
			  North East London 30 30 57 50 43 36 18 23 10 20 11 
			  North West London 10 13 14 27 19 13 21 11 8 11 8 
			  South East London 87 87 101 92 149 162 157 174 209 171 111 
			  South West London 12 16 13 11 9 14 5 8 6 7 8 
			  
			 North East County Durham and Tees Valley 7 6 11 30 55 37 23 13 23 53 13 
			  Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 24 20 14 16 15 31 80 70 91 30 20 
			  
			 North West Cheshire and Merseyside 70 45 23 50 29 32 46 22 24 36 33 
			  Cumbria and Lancashire 26 31 33 55 46 45 48 43 27 30 31 
			  Greater Manchester 72 85 60 76 75 52 74 56 52 32 30 
			  
			 South Central Hampshire and Isle of Wight 5 14 6 2 6 14 32 52 58 64 78 
			  Thames Valley 18 21 30 32 28 34 17 13 35 30 138 
			 South East Coast Kent and Medway 6 23 16 27 37 20 25 23 28 10 18 
			  Surrey and Sussex 48 37 34 51 40 27 14 24 34 26 39 
			  
			 South West Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 4 2 12 10 20 80 60 50 55 69 86 
			  Dorset and Somerset 20 45 22 51 57 42 43 72 71 45 52 
			  South West Peninsula 2 14 17 16 14 5 5 7 10 8 3 
			  
			 West Midlands Birmingham and the Black Country 18 21 25 21 14 35 33 100 109 56 45 
			  Coventry, Warwicks., Herefords.,Worcs. 9 8 5 7 5 14 22 12 10 10 32 
			  Shropshire and Staffordshire. 1 8 14 10 19 21 25 25 39 46 32 
			  
			 Yorkshire and Humbershire North and East Yorkshire, N Lincolnshire 53 100 116 77 68 55 85 64 63 58 81 
			  South Yorkshire 15 5 13 16 28 29 38 60 36 26 47 
			  West Yorkshire 49 54 45 89 62 48 67 70 81 71 68 
			  
			 Port Health Authority   11  
			 Total  670 813 817 985 970 1,014 1,097 1,134 1,239 1,061 1,123 
			  Notes: 1. Hepatitis B is notifiable under the Public Health (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 1988. 2. SHAs have been merged, and the number reduced from 28 to 10. The table gives data for both the previous and the current SHAs. 3. Cells are left empty if no cases have been reported. 4. These data have already been published.  Source: Health Protection Agency

Hepatitis

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the number of people with hepatitis C infections.

Dawn Primarolo: In 2007, there were 7,540 laboratory reports of hepatitis C virus infection from laboratories in England received by the Health Protection Agency(1).
	(1) This is a provisional total. Laboratory reports of hepatitis C are newly diagnosed cases of both current and past infections. This is because present serological tests are not able to differentiate between current acute and chronic hepatitis C infections, or between current and past hepatitis C infections.

Incontinence: Medical Equipment

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely level of take-up of prescription home delivery services by  (a) large dispensing appliance contractors and  (b) all dispensing appliance contractors under his proposals for changes to the Part IX remuneration regime; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the prospects for patient choice for patients using home delivery services for intermittent catheters under Part IX of the Drug Tariff.

Phil Hope: In the June consultation relating to the review of Part IX of the Drug Tariff, it was proposed that that every dispensing appliance contractor and pharmacy contractor in England should be required to provide home delivery for all items in Part IXA (catheter, laryngectomy and tracheostomy), Part IXB and Part IXC of the Drug Tariffif so requested by the useras part of essential services for items that they supply in the normal course of their business.
	The proposals set out in the consultation document reflect underlying assumption that 95 per cent. of these items require home delivery.
	As it is proposed that every dispensing appliance contractor and pharmacy contractor in England should be required to provide home deliveryif so requested by the useras part of essential services for items that they supply in the normal course of their business, patient choice would be maintained.

Incontinence: Medical Equipment

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he expects the full summary of responses to the consultation on the provision of stoma and incontinence appliances under Part IX of the Drug Tariff to be published; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will respond to the contributions made by representative bodies to his Department's consultation on the provision of stoma and incontinence appliances under Part IX of the Drug Tariff.

Phil Hope: A summary of responses to the consultation entitled Proposed new arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and urology appliancesand related servicesin Primary Care. June 2008 will be placed on the Department's website no later than three months after the consultation closed. As the consultation closed on 9 Septembers 2008, the summary will be published in week commencing 8 December 2008.
	Responses to the June consultation will help to inform policy decision. Once these are announced, the Department will be seen to have responded to respondents' contributions.

Incontinence: Medical Equipment

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will report the outcomes of the most recent consultation on stoma and incontinence products.

Phil Hope: A summary of responses to the consultation entitled 'Proposed New Arrangements Under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the Provision of Stoma and Urology Appliancesand Related Servicesin Primary Care. June 2008' will be placed on the Department's website no later than three months after the consultation closed. As the consultation closed on 9 September 2008, the summary will be published in week commencing 8 December 2008.

Incontinence: Medical Equipment

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 27 October 2008,  Official Report, column 657W on incontinence: medical equipment, how many  (a) letters and  (b) other informal responses his Department received from (i) healthcare professionals, (ii) primary care trust representatives, (iii) strategic health authority representatives, (iv) patients and (v) others on the June 2008 consultation on changes to Part IX of the Drug Tariff; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: It is not possible to provide the information in the format requested. Such information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	During the consultation period of 9 June to 9 September 2008, the Department received 604 pieces of correspondence, letters and emails regarding the consultation on proposed new arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and urology itemsand related servicesin Primary Care.

Learning Disability

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what requirements there are upon local authorities to  (a) hold and  (b) maintain adult learning disability registers; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  which local authorities have an up-to-date adult learning disability register;
	(3)  how many adult learning disability registers capture whether the person has a profound learning disability;
	(4)  what guidance he has issued to local councils on how to use school data on young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities in order to plan for their needs as they move into adult services; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: There are no requirements upon local authorities (LAs) to hold and maintain adult learning disability registers. It is for LAs to work with local partners to determine the numbers and needs of their population through the joint strategic needs assessment. Las will also hold details of adults known to services and their level of need.
	The information on which LAs have an up-to-date adult learning disability register is not held centrally, nor is information on how registers capture individuals level of need.
	There has been no guidance issued by the department to local councils in relation to school data. However, guidance by the Director of Adult Social Services (DASS) 2006, sets out the responsibility of the DASS for arrangements to support the transition of service users between children's and adult's services. A copy of this guidance has been placed in the Library.

Learning Disability

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) total annual expenditure on support packages for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities  (b) the maximum care package awarded for someone with a profound and multiple learning disability was in each local authority in each of the last five years.

Phil Hope: Expenditure data on people with profound and multiple learning disabilities and on the level of individual care packages are not collected centrally.

Learning Disability

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities are living in out-of-borough placements.

Phil Hope: The Department does not hold data on the percentage of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities living in out-of-borough placements. However, it does hold information on the percentage of all adults with learning disabilities in residential care and nursing care placements, placed outside local authority areas: 32 per cent. of supported residents in this group are placed outside local authority areas.

Mental Health Services: Closures

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS mental health units in England have closed since 1997.

Phil Hope: This information is not collected centrally.

Mental Health Services: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residents in Hemel Hempstead have received NHS assistance for mental illness in each year since 1998; how many of those received  (a) general practitioner counselling,  (b) specialist counselling,  (c) residence in specialist hostels and  (d) hospital accommodation in each year; and what estimate he has made of the volume of such assistance which will be required in 2008-09.

Phil Hope: Information is not available in the format requested. The following table shows the number of finished mental health consultant episodes for patients at the Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Trust from 2001-02 to 2006-07 which are the latest data available.
	
		
			   Finished consultant episodes 
			 2001-02 2,505 
			 2002-03 2,558 
			 2003-04 2,677 
			 2004-05 1,852 
			 2005-06 1,471 
			 2006-07 1,678 
			  Notes:  Finished Consultant Episode (FCE): A finished consultant episode (FCE) is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which the FCE finishes. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.  Consultant Main Specialty: This defines the specialty under which the consultant responsible for care of the patient is contracted. Care is needed when analysing HES data by specialty, or by groups of specialties (such as acute). Trusts have different ways of managing specialties and attributing codes so it is better to analyse by specific diagnoses, operations or other recorded information.  Consultant main specialties included: 710 = Mental illness 711 = Child and adolescent psychiatry 712 = Forensic psychiatry 713 = Psychotherapy 715 = Old age psychiatry (available from 1990-91)  Data Quality: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England. Data are also received from a number of independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  Assessing growth through time: HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. During the years that these records have been collected by the NHS there have been ongoing improvements in quality and coverage. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Some of the increase in figures for later years (particularly 2006-07 onwards) may be due to the improvement in the coverage of independent sector activity.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care

Nurses: Manpower

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many practice nurses there were in  (a) West Chelmsford constituency and  (b) the Chelmsford local authority area in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2007.

Ann Keen: Data are not collected in the format requested. Data are available for the primary care trusts (PCTs) that serve the constituency and local authority areas for 2002 and 2007 and is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Practice Nurses for selected area in 2002 and 2007 
			   N umbers (headcount) 
			   2002  2007 
			 Total for specified organisations 168 175 
			 Maldon and south Chelmsford PCT 46 n/a 
			 Chelmsford PCT 67 n/a 
			 Witham, Braintree and Halstead PCT 55 n/a 
			 Mid Essex PCT n-a 175 
			 n/a = Not applicable.  Notes: 1. Data for practice nurses are not available at parliamentary constituency or local authority area. West Chelmsford parliamentary constituency and the Chelmsford local authority area are contained within and served by the primary care trusts provided here. 2. Mid Essex PCT was created on 1 October 2006 from a complete merger of Chelmsford PCT, Maldon and South Chelmsford PCT and Witham, Braintree and Halstead PCT 3. Prior to 2002 PCTs did not exist. It is not possible to map organisations back beyond this to provide a time series. 4. Data as at 30 September 2002 and 2007  Data Quality Workforce statistics are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and PCTs in England. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data. Processing methods and procedures are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where this happens any impact on figures already published will be assessed but unless this is significant at national level they will not be changed. Where there is impact only at detailed or local level this will be footnoted in relevant analyses.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics

Nutrition

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 366-67W, on nutrition, when he plans to publish the interim progress report of the Nutrition Action Plan Delivery Board.

Dawn Primarolo: The Nutrition Action Plan Delivery Board interim progress report will be published on the Department's website in winter.

Pharmacy

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to reduce the time taken to reimburse pharmacists for dispensing prescription items.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department is committed to ensuring that the reimbursement arrangements for pharmacists provide for a suitable payment timetable. However, this particular issue needs to be considered in the wider context of other measures to support community pharmacy.

Sex

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the proportion of  (a) girls and  (b) boys reporting having (i) their first sexual experience and (ii) sexual intercourse for the first time at (A) 11 years of age or under, (B) 12 years of age, (C) 13 years of age, (D) 14 years of age, (E) 15 years of age and (F) 16 years of age and older.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available in the format requested.
	I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Strangford (Mrs. Robinson) on 18 March 2008,  Official Report, column 1012W.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

British Energy: EDF

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on which occasions Ministers in his Department have met senior executives of  (a) British Energy and  (b) EDF in each of the last 12 months.

Huw Irranca-Davies: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met with EDF twice at DEFRA in the last 12 months but not with British Energy. Other Ministers did not meet with EDF or British Energy.

Brownfield Sites: Contamination

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when his Department will publish further guidance to local authorities on brownfield sites contaminated as indicated in Improvements to Contaminated Land Guidance: Outcome of the Way Forward Exercise on Soil Guidelines Values.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The DEFRA statement Improvements to contaminated land guidance: outcome of the Way Forward exercise on soil guideline values was issued on 22 July 2008. It listed 14 measures being taken by DEFRA, the Environment Agency and others to improve guidance in this area.
	Among the measures was new DEFRA Guidance on the Legal Definition of Contaminated Land. This document was published on 28 July and is available on the DEFRA website.

Common Agricultural Policy

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated  (a) average agricultural tariff and  (b) average intervention price was under the Common Agricultural Policy in each of the last five years, broken down by commodity; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Since the EU's tariff schedule includes both ad valorem (percentage of price) components and specific ( per tonne) components, tariffs are compared using estimates of the ad valorem equivalent (AVE). Calculation of the AVE requires an estimate of the import price. Typically unit import values (the value of imports divided by the volume) are used as the estimate of the price in the conversion process.
	There is a further complication in deriving average tariff estimates. Each commodity has several (and sometimes many) tariff lines, often with very different tariff rates. These lines can be averaged in different ways, for example a simple average could be used, or lines weighted according to import volumes. Many imports also take place within the context of tariff rate quotas where the applied rate of duty is lower than the bound rate. Further, each commodity has several (and sometimes many) tariff lines, often with very different tariff rates. These lines can be averaged in different ways, for example a simple average could be used, or lines weighted according to import volumes.
	Each method has particular disadvantages. For example, weighting by import volume assigns low weight to tariff lines where the tariff is high enough to eliminate imports. This tends to reduce the estimated tariff rate. Historically DEFRA's approach has been to present the tariff for a 'representative' tariff line which accounts for the bulk of imports, or, when there is no clearly dominant individual line, to present a simple average of several important tariff lines.
	The EU's bound Most Favoured Nation (MFN) agricultural tariffs have remained unchanged over the period 2003 to 2007, and table 1 presents AVE's for the major commodities as calculated by DEFRA. These estimates give a broad indication of the level of protection, but the tariff applied to a particular consignment on a tariff line may differ, as explained above.
	
		
			  Table 1: Estimated EU bound tariff equivalents for major commodities 
			   Percentage 
			 Durum wheat 78 
			 Low and medium quality wheat 69 
			 Rye 65 
			 Barley 79 
			 Oats 62 
			 Maize 71 
			 Sorghum 71 
			 Triticale 21 
			 Raw sugar 66 
			 Beef* 100 
			 Pigmeat 30 
			 Lamb 60 
			 Poultry meat 53 
			 Skimmed milk powder 91 
			 Butter 101 
			 Cheese 68 
			 Eggs 38 
			 Cocoa paste 10 
			 Tomatoes 58 
			 Apples* 38 
			 Representative tariff line except * (average from selected bundle of important tariff lines).   Source:  'A Vision for the Common Agricultural Policy' (2005), DEFRA and HMT. 
		
	
	For comparison we also present EU tariffs estimated using an alternative methodology, where average tariffs have been calculated using weights based on imports in a reference group of countries. This approach is better than using only EU imports as weights (which introduces significant downward bias as mentioned above), but may still understate the true level of protection. These estimates are presented in Table 2, and are available only at an aggregate level.
	
		
			  Table 2: Estimates for average EU bound tariff equivalents 
			   Percentage 
			 Meat and offal 73.3 
			 Dairy products 70.9 
			 Vegetables 23 
			 Edible fruit and nuts 18 
			 Sugar 104.5 
			 Cocoa and preparations 4.6 
			 Coffee and tea 1.2 
			 Cereals 88.2 
			  Source:  'Implications for the European Union of the May 2008 Draft Agricultural Modalities' (2008), International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD). 
		
	
	Intervention prices for the main commodities are presented in table 3.
	
		
			  Table 3: Intervention prices by commodity for marketing years 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			  /tonne 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Durum wheat 101.3 101.3 101.3 101.3 101.3 
			 Common wheat 101.3 101.3 101.3 101.3 101.3 
			 Barley 101.3 101.3 101.3 101.3 101.3 
			 Rye 101.3 
			 Maize/sorghum 101.3 101.3 101.3 101.3 101.3 
			 White sugar 631.9 631.9 631.9 631.9 631.9 
			 Butter 3,282.0 3,052.3 2,824.4 2,595.2 2,463.9 
			 Skimmed-milk powder 2,055.2 1,952.4 1,849.7 1,746.9 1,746.9 
			  Note:  Marketing year is July to June for durum wheat, common wheat, barley, rye, maize/sorghum and white sugar; and April to March for butter and skimmed-milk powder.   Source:  Annual publications of 'Agriculture in the European Union: Statistical and economic information', EC.

Departmental Buildings

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the location is of each office occupied by  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies which has been (i) newly occupied and (ii) refurbished in the last 24 months; and what the floor area in square metres is of each.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA has no offices that have been both newly occupied and refurbished in the last 24 months.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he has taken to offset his Department's carbon emissions in the last 12 months.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) participates in the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund (GCOF), through which it offsets all air and rail travel undertaken by the Department's Ministers and officials.
	To date, DEFRA has made provision through GCOF to cancel credits to the amount of 6055.91 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), at a cost of 60,014.07. This covers the years 2005-06 and 2006-07. Figures for 2007-08 are currently being compiled and should be available in the near future.
	All offset credits purchased by the GCOF are internationally compliant certified emission reductions (CERs), sourced from small scale abatement projects in developing countries, and approved under the Clean Development Mechanism.

Departmental Drinking Water

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on bottled water in the last 12 months.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Colchester (Bob Russell) on 4 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2277W.

Departmental Information Communication Technology

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on upgrading its IT in each of the last three financial years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Core DEFRA's expenditure on upgrading its IT, defined as the additions to its asset base in the year, are identified in the following published accounts:
	
		
			   million 
			 2007-08 18.452 
			 2006-07 1.628 
			 2005-06 10.737

Departmental Pay

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of staff in his Department in the last 12 months; and at what total cost.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Bonuses are used to reward excellent performance during the year and are based on a judgment of how well an individual has performed relative to their peers. Performance related pay schemes encourage high attainment because bonuses have to be earned each year. They help drive high performance in departments and agencies and support better public service delivery.
	 For the SCS
	Non-consolidated cash payments, otherwise known as bonuses, reward in-year performances in relation to agreed objectives, or short term personal contribution to wider organisational objectives. Bonuses are paid in addition to base pay increases and do not count towards pension.
	Bonuses are allocated by Departments from a 'pot' expressed as a percentage of the SCS salary bill, which is agreed centrally each year following the SSRB recommendations. The intention is that bonus decisions should be differentiated in order to recognise the most significant deliverers of in-year performance.
	 For staff at Grade 6 and below
	The High Performance Bonus Awards scheme introduced in April 2005 provide staff in DEFRA And those agencies covered by the core-Department's reward arrangements, with recognition and reward for delivery of an outstanding outcome or performance that significantly exceeds normal expectations. The process should provide staff at all grades with an opportunity to earn a bonus, and ensure that achievements in operational, policy and corporate services areas are recognised as being of equal esteem.
	There are two types of award:
	In-year high performance bonuses paid to individuals or teams in recognition of one-off achievements during the year; and
	Annual high performance bonuses which in 2007 and 2008 were paid to the top 10 per cent. of performers for delivery of an outstanding outcome or performance sustained throughout the whole year.
	For the period October 2007 to September 2008, 2791 performance bonuses totalling 5,629,125 were awarded to staff in DEFRA and those agencies covered by DEFRA terms and conditions (core-DEFRA (including staff who transferred to DECC in October 2008), Animal Health, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Marine and Fisheries Agency and Government Decontamination Service and until 1 April 2008 Pesticides Safety Directorate). This period included two years of annual performance bonuses, with bonuses for the 2006-07 performance cycle paid in November 2007 and bonuses for the 2007-08 performance cycle paid in August 2008.

Environment Protection: Waste Management

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department will direct the Environment Agency to amend The Definition of Waste: Development Industry Code of Practice to remove the requirement for safe soils to be passed through licensed treatment if they need to be moved to another site.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Excavated soil removed from a site is classified as waste under the EC Waste Framework Directive, as some soils are contaminated, which means that certain safeguards are required. Unfortunately, this has led to restrictions on the transfer of good quality soil to other sites and can lead to good quality soils being buried in landfill. To address this, DEFRA worked with the Environment Agency, Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and industry to try and agree a Waste Quality Protocol setting out when soil should be regarded as safe and where it would be acceptable for soil to be transferred to another site without the need for treatment or being subject to permitting requirements. However, this ran into difficulties due to the lack of a straightforward way of determining when soil should be regarded as safe. Alternative risk based approaches to managing soil from uncontaminated sites are now being looked at.

Exmoor National Park Authority

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost to the public purse was of each member on the Exmoor National Park Authority in each of the last five years; and how much was spent on  (a) travelling and  (b) other expenses for each member in each year.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA's grant to the Exmoor National Park Authority in the last five years has been as follows:
	
		
			million 
			 2004-05 3.291 
			 2005-06 3.616 
			 2006-07 3.700 
			 2007-08 3.794 
			 2008-09 3.957 
		
	
	The Authority sets its own levels of allowances and expenses. Details of the payments to individual members for the last two years are available on the Authority's website:
	www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk
	as part of the published papers for the meetings of the Resources and Performance Committee on 24 June 2008 and 25 September 2007. Details for earlier years are not held by DEFRA but may be obtained from the Authority.

Fisheries: Quotas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1863W, on fisheries: quotas, whether an assessment has been made on the catch composition of the catch from vessels involved in the Irish sea discard pilot; what the difference between the catch composition and the quota allocation was; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The discard data generated by the Irish sea data enhancement pilot are consistent with accepted methods of discard data collection, such as through the Data Collection Regulation. Therefore, the additional data generated by the pilot using fishermen's self sampling, increase the sample size of the fleet from which to assess the level and types of discarding. These data will now be assessed to identify patterns of discarding in the Irish sea by area and season.

Fishing Catches

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to promote the procurement of fish caught by UK vessels in the  (a) public and  (b) private sector.

Huw Irranca-Davies: holding answer 3 November 2008
	The EU treaty and public procurement regulations do not allow member states' public bodies to give greater weight to the procurement of fish caught by UK vessels when awarding contracts. This is because public bodies are required to ensure public procurement is fair, transparent and not used to discriminate by setting up barriers to free trade. It would also reduce competition contrary to UK public procurement policy that is designed to achieve value for money for the taxpayer.
	The legal and policy framework does, however, provide public bodies with the flexibility to be innovative in their procurement and, through the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative (PSFPI), the Government are encouraging them to increase tendering opportunities for small and local producers and to work in partnership with their contractors to similarly open up their supply chains where this is commercially viable.
	Various public bodies such as the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and the South East Food Group Partnership are also currently working to promote the procurement of UK-caught fish within the private sector.

Incinerators

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many new waste incinerators have been installed in each of the last 10 years.

Jane Kennedy: The following table shows the number of waste incinerators which were permitted in the UK in each of the last 10 years by the Environment Agency, or its predecessor Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution (HMIP). It includes all incineration processes that take waste from off-site sources. It does not include processes that burn their own waste.
	
		
			   Number of incinerators 
			 1998 4 
			 1999 7 
			 2000 4 
			 2001 1 
			 2002 1 
			 2003 0 
			 2004 0 
			 2005 13 
			 2006 0 
			 2007 0

New Forest National Park Authority

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it the policy of the New Forest Park Authority that they should employ an architects' panel or a design review panel to enhance the quality of decision-making by their environmental design department.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Decisions on these issues are for the New Forest National Park Authority to take. It is an independent authority operating within the local government framework and legislation.

New Forest National Park Authority: Consultants

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  which firms of consultants have been engaged by the New Forest National Park Authority to provide research for the authority's  (a) Management Plan and  (b) Recreation Management Strategy;
	(2)  what the conclusions were from each of the workshops convened to engage and gain contributions from stakeholders of the New Forest National Park Authority Management Plan and Recreation Management Strategy;
	(3)  what the  (a) date and  (b) location of each of the workshops convened to engage and gain contributions from stakeholders on the New Forest National Park Authority Management Plan and Recreation Management Strategy was; and who the (i) invitees to and (ii) attendees at each event were;
	(4)  how much the employment of consultants for work associated with the section of the New Forest National Park Authority  (a) Management Plan and  (b) Recreation Management Strategy has cost to date; and what estimate has been made of the final cost;
	(5)  how many tenders were received for consultancy support in the development of the New Forest National Park Authority Management Plan and Recreation Management Strategy; and to which firm the contract was awarded;
	(6)  who the members of the Stakeholder Advisory Group to the New Forest National Park Authority are; and what the relevant qualifications of each are.

Huw Irranca-Davies: holding answer 3 November 2008
	This is a matter for the New Forest National Park Authority and I have asked Lindsay Cornish, the chief executive, to write to the hon. Member with the information.

Polytunnels

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of agricultural land in England is covered by polytunnels.

Jane Kennedy: Data are not collected on areas of crops specifically grown in poly tunnels. These areas are recorded as open field crops as the crops are only covered for part of the year.

Rats: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the rat population in each London borough.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA does not hold data on the size of the UK rat population or on the rat population in each London borough.
	Data on rodent infestation in domestic dwellings are obtained from the English House Condition Survey (EHCS). The detailed findings for 2001 are summarised in the report, Rodent infestations in domestic properties in England, 2001. The EHCS data only provide an estimate of the proportion of dwellings with rat infestations inside or outside. They do not provide definitive data on the number of rats.
	In May, DEFRA published an interim report on rodent presence in domestic properties from the EHCS data for 2002-03 and 2003-04. The key findings were that the occurrences of rats in these years are not significantly different from those observed in 2001.
	A further detailed report is anticipated for publication in spring 2009.

River Rom: Environment Protection

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how much has been spent in maintaining, cleaning and managing the River Rom in Essex in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what recent steps have been taken to maintain or improve the River Rom in Essex.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The following figures cover the cost to the Environment Agency for channel maintenance, the treatment of Japanese knotweed, unplanned blockage removal and regular planned deployment of staff.
	
		
			
			 2003-04 16,300 
			 2004-05 14,372 
			 2005-06 14,972 
			 2006-07 37,146 
			 2007-08 47,492 
			 2008-09 (to date) 40,000 
		
	
	The Environment Agency made a contribution of 25,000 to the London borough of Havering to help cover the costs of bringing the River Rom up to standard.
	The Cross Road Flood Storage Reservoir is a classified reservoir under the Reservoirs Act. This takes and stores flood water from the Rom. To date, the Environment Agency has spent over 40,000 in carrying out maintenance and public safety works.
	In 2006, the Environment Agency took on responsibility for maintenance of a further 5.4 km of the river. This was part of a national transfer of responsibilities from local authorities.
	Since then, the Environment Agency has delivered an annual maintenance programme that involves clearing the river of fallen trees, clearing blockages, removing invasive plants, clearing vegetation on embankments, installing safety railings and improving the safety of the Cross Road Flood Storage Lagoon.
	Substantial investment is planned for the next three years to improve this flood storage area and manage the risk of flooding to people in the Romford area.

Science: Finance

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the likely effect of the transfer of his responsibilities on climate change to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on his Department's science budget; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The budget for the new Department is currently being decided between it and the contributory Departments: the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. Included in these deliberations is a division of the science budget. The budget for the new Department is expected to be announced to Parliament in the spring Supplementary Estimate.

Squirrels: Conservation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure the long-term survival of red squirrels in England.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I can only answer with respect to England as this is a devolved matter.
	The red squirrel is a priority species under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. The conservation aim for this species is to maintain self-sustaining populations of red squirrels, and wherever practicable, expand red squirrel populations where their sustainability is threatened. This action plan is being implemented through a broad partnership of government, statutory conservation agencies and the private and voluntary sectors.
	In England, the approach to red squirrel conservation is to secure long-term habitat and conditions favouring the red squirrel in areas where grey squirrels have not yet reached in significant numbers and by limiting grey squirrel expansion into these areas.
	The Red Alert North England partners have designated 16 reserves and associated buffer zones where long-term survival of the red squirrel is considered most likely. The partners' Save our Squirrels project is delivering advice to landowners, co-ordinating squirrel control in the buffers, promoting Forestry Commission grants, raising public awareness and gaining further funding for squirrel conservation work.
	The Red Squirrel Partnership led by Lord Redesdale was awarded a three-year 148,000 grant in June 2006 from rural enterprise scheme to support the control of grey squirrels in Northumberland to help protect the red squirrel reserves.

Warm Front Scheme

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 1087-8W, on the Warm Front scheme, what the average contribution requested from householders assisted under the Warm Front scheme was in  (a) St. Ives constituency,  (b) Cornwall and  (c) England since contributions were introduced in 2005.

Joan Ruddock: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Area  Average cost of contribution () 
			 St. Ives constituency 1,025.74 
			 Cornwall (LA boundaries) 1,018.99 
			 England (all) 538.00

Waste and Resources Action Programme

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Beckenham of 9 October 2008,  Official Report, column 746W, on the Waste and Resources Action Programme, 
	(1)  what remit was given to Chelgate Ltd; and what each of the resource efficiency issues were that were developed;
	(2)  what WRAP's definition is of a resource efficiency issue;
	(3)  whether the use of Chelgate Ltd to contact public policy makers and opinion formers from outside WRAP's established stakeholder groups, included liaising with  (a) representatives of political parties,  (b) hon. Members and  (c) noble Lords.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 30 October 2008
	The Waste and Resources Action Programme's (WRAP) remit from its Government funders is to help individuals, businesses and organisations to waste less and recycle more and to help support the development of end markets for recycled materials. WRAP describes this role as encouraging 'resource efficiency'. WRAP'S work delivers environmental, social and economic benefits, and so its advice, experience and agenda is of interest to policy makers in Government and other political parties. WRAP therefore decided to strengthen its links with policy makers within Government, Parliament and other parties.
	The remit given to Chelgate Ltd. was to provide specialist help to support WRAP in improving their engagement with political stakeholders. The objective was to help WRAP raise the level of those stakeholders' awareness of WRAP, their activities and the value of those activities to the UK economy and environment. This support was of a general nature, across all the issues dealt with by WRAP.
	WRAP'S aim is to help to build a more resource efficient UK. WRAP therefore considers the term 'resource efficiency' to include all the issues with which it deals.
	The use of Chelgate Ltd. to contact public policy makers and opinion formers from outside WRAP'S established stakeholder groups did include liaising with representatives of political parties, honourable Members and noble Lords.
	Chelgate Ltd. was engaged at a cost of 25,000.

Waste Disposal: Council Tax

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether domestic properties with a  (a) Class M and  (b) Class N council tax exemption will be liable to pay the new taxes for the collection of household rubbish;
	(2)  whether domestic properties with a Class V council tax exemption will be liable to pay the new taxes for the collection of household rubbish.

Jane Kennedy: The Government have no plans to introduce new taxes for the collection of household rubbish.

Waste Management

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding has been provided to waste reduction schemes under the Landfill Communities Fund and its predecessor in each year since 1997.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	Figures supplied by the fund's regulator, Entrust, show that funding provided for sustainable waste management projects under the landfill communities fund (formerly the landfill tax credit scheme) is as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year (1 April to 31 March)   million 
			 1997-98 10.9 
			 1998-99 18.8 
			 1999-2000 32.0 
			 2000-01 39.4 
			 2001-02 44.4 
			 2002-03 57.0 
			 2003-04 56.1 
			 2004-05 33.7 
			 2005-06 23.0 
			 2006-07 17.9 
			 2007-08 6.7 
			 Total 339.7 
		
	
	The sum of the years differs marginally from the total shown owing to rounding.
	Prior to Budget 2003, there were additional objects which covered sustainable waste management projects, which this question concerns. The fund was reformed in Budget 2003 following discussion with stakeholders. As well as extending the scope of the scheme from 1 October 2003 to include habitat creation projects on land that need not have public access, in order to support biodiversity, the objects relating to sustainable waste management were removed from 1 April 2003 and a proportion of the funding for the scheme was redirected to public spending on a new sustainable waste delivery programme.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many alcohol licences in  (a) West Chelmsford constituency and  (b) the Chelmsford local authority area have been revoked on the grounds of sale of alcohol to children since the implementation of the Licensing Act 2003.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Statistical bulletins on licences to sell alcohol include the number of licences revoked, but do not indicate the reason why. Licences may be revoked on review for one or more reasons relating to the four licensing objectives, including sales of alcohol to children.
	The first DCMS Statistical Bulletin on Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment, under the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003, was published on 8 November 2007. This shows that, between April 2006 and March 2007, there were three completed reviews in the Chelmsford licensing authority area which resulted in two premises licences revoked or club premises certificates being withdrawn and one premises licence or club premises certificate being suspended. The second statistical bulletin, published on 30 October 2008 and covering the period between April 2007 and March 2008, shows that there was one completed review in the Chelmsford licensing authority area which resulted in the premises licence or club premises certificate being suspended as well as other conditions added or modified.
	Since 6 April 2007, a premises licence can be suspended by a court under Section 147B(1) of the Licensing Act 2003 (as amended by the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006) for the sale or supply of alcohol, following an offence of persistently selling to underage children. No premises licenses have been suspended on these grounds in the Chelmsford licensing authority area for the most recent statistical bulletin period.

Arts Council England: Consultants

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people were employed by Arts Council England as consultants in each year since 1997-98; and what the annual cost of such employment was in 2007-08 prices.

Barbara Follett: Information on the numbers of consultants employed is not available in the form requested due to structural changes at Arts Council England. Data in the tables have been provided by Arts Council England and include a wider analysis of fee-based work, both administration and arts driven, which forms a part of the fully consolidated Arts Council Lottery and grant-in-aid accounts from 2003-04 onwards.
	
		
			  Table l 
			  000 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			  Arts Council Fee expenditure 2003-04 to 2007-08  
			 Professional Fees 14,677 13,260 15,148 8,763 6,651 
			 Consultants 5,940 4,390 464 0 0 
			 Consultants - IT 0 0 0 1,681 645 
			 Consultants - Management Consultants 0 0 0 185 244 
			 Consultants - Project Management 0 0 0 699 1,475 
			 Consultants - Research 0 0 0 384 703 
			 Consultants - Market Research 0 0 0 30 117 
			 Legal Fees 377 383 343 300 443 
			 Assessors/Advisers Costs 83 831 3,181 481 111 
			 Capital Scheme Assessment 1,481 1,266 746 305 546 
			 Capital Scheme Monitoring 785 985 1,113 815 711 
			 Consolidated fee related arts and administration spend 23,343 23,343 21,115 20,995 13,643 11,646 
			   
			  Grant in Aid funded administration and arts spend  
			 Professional Fees 5,998 5,637 7,822 7,481 4,001 
			 Consultants 469 635 382 0 0 
			 Consultants - IT 0 0 0 1,681 587 
			 Consultants - Management Consultants 0 0 0 169 226 
			 Consultants - Project Management 0 0 0 695 843 
			 Consultants - Research 0 0 0 354 563 
			 Consultants - Market Research 0 0 0 30 117 
			 Legal Fees 181 210 105 103 374 
			 Assessors/Advisers Costs 53 631 316 452 114 
			 Capital Scheme Assessment  
			 Capital Scheme Monitoring  
			 Grant in Aid funded administration and arts spend 6,701 7,113 8,625 10,965 6,825 
			   
			  Creative Partnerships and Restricted Arts Projects  
			 Professional Fees 8,552 7,476 7,020 1,087 2,550 
			 Consultants 5,440 3,755 82 0 0 
			 Consultants - IT 0 0 0 0 6 
			 Consultants - Management Consultants 0 0 0 7 6 
			 Consultants - Project Management 0 0 0 4 593 
			 Consultants - Research 0 0 0 30 70 
			 Consultants - Market Research 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Legal Fees 1 8 11 0 0 
			 Assessors/Advisers Costs 26 196 2,865 24  
			 Capital Scheme Assessment  
			 Capital Scheme Monitoring  
			 Creative Partnerships and restricted arts projects spend 14,019 11,435 9,978 1,152 3,225 
			   
			  Lottery administration spend  
			 Professional Fees 127 147 306 195 100 
			 Consultants 31 0 0 0 0 
			 Consultants - IT 0 0 0 0 52 
			 Consultants - Management Consultants 0 0 0 9 12 
			 Consultants - Project Management 0 0 0 0 39 
			 Consultants - Research 0 0 0 0 70 
			 Consultants - Market Research 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Legal Fees 195 165 227 197 69 
			 Assessors/Advisers Costs 4 4 0 5 -3 
			 Capital Scheme Assessment 1,481 1,266 746 305 546 
			 Capital Scheme Monitoring 785 985 1,113 815 711 
			 Lottery administration spend 2,623 2,567 2,392 1,526 1,596 
		
	
	
		
			  Table  2 
			   000 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			  Arts Council Fee expenditure 2003-04 to 2007-08  in 2007-08 prices( 1)  
			 Professional Fees 16,108 14,319 16,013 9,018 6,651 
			 Consultants 6,519 4,741 490 0 0 
			 Consultants - IT 0 0 0 1,730 645 
			 Consultants - Management Consultants 0 0 0 190 244 
			 Consultants - Project Management 0 0 0 719 1,475 
			 Consultants - Research 0 0 0 395 703 
			 Consultants - Market Research 0 0 0 31 117 
			 Legal Fees 414 414 363 309 443 
			 Assessors/Advisers Costs 91 897 3,363 495 111 
			 Capital Scheme Assessment 1,625 1,367 789 314 546 
			 Capital Scheme Monitoring 862 1,064 1,177 839 711 
			 Consolidated fee related arts and administration spend(2) 25,619 22,801 22,194 14,040 11,646 
			   
			  Grant in Aid funded administration and arts spend  
			 Professional Fees 6,583 6,087 8,269 7,699 4,001 
			 Consultants 515 686 404 0 0 
			 Consultants - IT 0 0 0 1,730 587 
			 Consultants - Management Consultants 0 0 0 174 226 
			 Consultants - Project Management 0 0 0 715 843 
			 Consultants - Research 0 0 0 364 563 
			 Consultants - Market Research 0 0 0 31 117 
			 Legal Fees 199 227 111 106 374 
			 Assessors/Advisers Costs 58 681 334 465 114 
			 Capital Scheme Assessment  
			 Capital Scheme Monitoring  
			 Grant in Aid funded administration and arts spend 7,354 7,681 9,117 11,284 6,825 
			   
			  Creative Partnerships and Restricted Arts Projects( 3)  
			 Professional Fees 9,386 8,073 7,421 1,119 2,550 
			 Consultants 5,970 4,055 87 0 0 
			 Consultants - IT 0 0 0 0 6 
			 Consultants - Management Consultants 0 0 0 7 6 
			 Consultants - Project Management 0 0 0 4 593 
			 Consultants - Research 0 0 0 31 70 
			 Consultants - Market Research 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Legal Fees 1 9 12 0 0 
			 Assessors/Advisers Costs 29 212 3,029 25 0 
			 Capital Scheme Assessment  
			 Capital Scheme Monitoring  
			 Creative Partnerships and restricted arts projects spend 15,386 12,348 10,548 1,186 3,225 
			   
			  Lottery administration spend( 4)  
			 Professional Fees 139 159 323 201 100 
			 Consultants 34 0 0 0 0 
			 Consultants - IT 0 0 0 0 52 
			 Consultants - Management Consultants 0 0 0 9 12 
			 Consultants - Project Management 0 0 0 0 39 
			 Consultants - Research 0 0 0 0 70 
			 Consultants - Market Research 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Legal Fees 214 178 240 203 69 
			 Assessors/Advisers Costs 4 4 0 5 -3 
			 Capital Scheme Assessment(5) 1,625 1,367 789 314 546 
			 Capital Scheme Monitoring 862 1,064 1,177 839 711 
			 Lottery administration spend 2,879 2,772 2,529 1,570 1,596 
			 (1) Prior to 2005-06 the type of spend on consultants was not itemized in the ledgers (2) Grant in aid expenditure includes arts contracts and administration spend (3) The majority of consultant and Fee spend relates to Arts expenditure issued as grants starting from 2005-06 (4) Lottery fee costs are all administration costs (5) The Arts Council employs specialist assessors and monitors to review Capital Projects  Note: 2002-03 accounts were consolidated from eleven organizations. ACE ledgers do not hold the organisation-wide detail.  Source:  Annual Accounts - Summary Trial Balance.

Arts Council England: Expenditure

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent by Arts Council England on  (a) Creative Partnerships,  (b) own art and  (c) the Cultural Leadership programme in every year since each programme's inception in 2007-08 prices.

Barbara Follett: The information requested has been provided by Arts Council England and is set out in the tables.
	
		
			  ExpenditureCreative Partnerships, Own Art and Cultural Leadership Programme 
			  000 
			  Year ending 31 March  Creative Partnerships  Own Art  Cultural Leadership  Total 
			 1998 
			 1999 
			 2000 
			 2001 
			 2002 237   237 
			 2003 5,733   5,733 
			 2004 23,731   23,731 
			 2005 25,258 250  25,508 
			 2006 34,081 250 83 34,414 
			 2007 39,161 250 4,266 43,685 
			 2008 36,978 250 5,582 42,826 
		
	
	
		
			  Rebased using Treasury Deflators 
			  000 
			  Year ending 31 March  Creative Partnerships  Own Art  Cultural Leadership  Total 
			 1998 
			 1999 
			 2000 
			 2001 
			 2002 279   279 
			 2003 6,546   6,546 
			 2004 26,334   26,334 
			 2005 27,275 270  27,545 
			 2006 36,027 264 88 36,379 
			 2007 40,302 266 4,390 44,957 
			 2008 36,978 266 5,582 42,826

Cultural Property (Armed Conflicts) Bill (Draft)

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects to publish the draft Cultural Property (Armed Conflicts) Bill.

Barbara Follett: The draft Cultural Property (Armed Conflicts) Bill was published in January 2008. A copy can be found on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport website:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications/3573.aspx

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, column 27W, on carbon emissions: Government departments, how much air mileage incurred through departmental travel was used to calculate the departmental payment to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund in each year that his Department has participated in the fund, broken down by  (a) domestic,  (b) short haul and  (c) long haul flights.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The mileage incurred during departmental travel is as follows:
	 (a) Domestic: 11,436
	 (b) Short haul: 37,058
	 (c) Long haul: 11,9870

Departmental Internet

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost was of maintaining his Department's website in the 2007-08 financial year; and what the forecast cost is of maintaining websites within his responsibility in the 2008-09 financial year.

Barbara Follett: The cost of maintaining the departmental website for the period 2007-08 was 8,741
	This figure covers maintenance on a number of other Department websites. We expect the costs for 2008-09 to be in line with the previous year.

Departmental Press

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which keywords or terms his Department has monitored in the media in each of the last three years.

Barbara Follett: The only search terms held by Department are those currently used to supply press cuttings. These are set out as follows:
	Departmental
	Department for Culture, Media and Sport /DCMS
	Andy Burnham
	Gerry Sutcliffe
	Barbara Follett
	Tessa Jowell
	Stephen Carter
	Jonathan Stephens
	Dame Liz Forgan
	Darra Singh
	Parminder Vir
	Sport (Only substantive stories, not a passing mention.)
	Sport (OICW sports policy, the running of sport in the UK and major international sports issues affecting sport in the UK.)
	Sport in schools
	Sport England
	UK Sport
	Drugs in sport
	The Football Association/FA (OICW FA policy, NICW individual events.)
	Illegal payments in UK football transfers
	Wembley Stadium
	Football hooliganism (OICW violence at football matches by British fans.)
	Gambling (Only substantive stories, not a passing mention.)
	The Gambling Act 2005
	Gambling (OICW Government policy and social issues.)
	The Tote
	Lottery (Only substantive stories, not a passing mention.)
	The National Lottery (NICW individual winners or coverage of ways to pick winning numbers.)
	The National Lottery Commission
	The Big Lottery Fund
	Arts and Culture (Only substantive stories, not a passing mention.)
	Culture (OICW Government policy and funding of the arts.)
	Museums and galleries (OICW Government policy, funding, stolen art articles and export bans. NICW single exhibitions.)
	Performing arts (OICW Government policy and funding. Not reviews.)
	Theatre (OICW issues concerning the health of the British theatre industry and individual theatres receiving public funds. Not reviews.)
	Arts Council England
	The UK art market and auctions (OICW the industry, NICW individual auctions unless they are particularly important or of high value)
	The British Library
	Libraries (OICW articles on the running and funding of libraries.)
	The Parthenon Sculptures (aka Elgin Marbles, OICW the sculptures being held by the British Museum.)
	The Poet Laureate
	Architecture (NICW individual companies unless for a major building project.)
	Heritage (Only substantive stories, not a passing mention.)
	English Heritage
	World Heritage Sites
	The Heritage Lottery Fund
	Listed buildings (OICW the administration and upkeep of listed buildings and additions to the listed buildings register.)
	Statues (OICW major events, celebrations and restorations of public statues.)
	Artefacts
	Flag flying (OICW flag flying on public buildings.)
	Spoliation (Only substantive stories, not a passing mention.)
	Spoliation
	The Spoliation Observation Panel
	Royal Parks (Only substantive stories, not a passing mention.)
	The Royal Parks (Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, St. James's Park, Green Park, Richmond Park, the Regent's Park, Bushy Park, Greenwich Park and Brompton Cemetery.)
	The Royal Parks Agency
	Broadcasting (Only substantive stories are included, a passing mention is not.)
	Public service broadcasting
	BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 (OICW funding, the license fee, corporate or business issues and ratings. Not TV listings or programme reviews.)
	Digital TV
	Radio (OICW corporate news, regulation, listening statistics and digital radio, including the Digital Radio Working Group.)
	Broadband TV (no pictures)
	Audio Visual Media Services Directive (AVMS)
	The BBC Trust
	Ofcom (OICW broadcasting.)
	Press (Only substantive stories, not a passing mention.)
	The Press Complaints Commission
	UK newspaper industry (OICW business/corporate issues and regulation issues.)
	Film (Only substantive stories not a passing mention.)
	The British film industry (Not reviews.)
	Film piracy
	The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC)
	Films on the internet
	The UK Film Council
	The British Film Institute (BFI)
	Film tax issues
	Fashion Industry (Only substantive stories, not a passing mention.)
	The UK Fashion industry (OICW UK fashion industry business issues. NICW product news or reviews.)
	Tourism (Only substantive stories, not a passing mention.)
	The UK tourism industry (OICW industry/business issues.)
	Visit Britain
	Visit London
	Music Industry (Only substantive stories, not a passing mention.)
	The UK music industry (OICW business/industry issues, music exports, copyright, downloading, music copyright, music downloads and music piracy.)
	Live Music Forum
	Licensing (Only substantive stories, not a passing mention.)
	The Licensing Act 2003
	Alcohol (OICW Government policy on alcohol and social issues.)
	Lap dancing clubs (OICW licensing regulations.)
	Video and Computer Games (Only substantive stories not a passing mention.)
	Video and computer games (OICW industry news, education and violent or controversial games.)
	Byron Review
	 Key to acronyms:
	OICW: Only in connection with
	NICW: Not in connection with

Departmental Press

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on newspapers in each of the last five years.

Barbara Follett: The information in the following table represents expenditure incurred by the Department's Library and Information Centre on subscriptions for hard copy and online magazines, newspapers, books and other publications, access to specific research databases, the Stationery Office and other parliamentary information sources as well as legal online and hard copy updating services.
	The amount spent by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on newspapers can be disaggregated only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			
			 2003-04 157,676.65 
			 2004-05 147,396.80 
			 2005-06 147,303.56 
			 2006-07 157,823.81 
			 2007-08 172,769.84 
			 2008-09 (to date) 149,894.41 
			  Note: The 2008-09 figures have yet to be audited and are therefore subject to change.

English Heritage: Educational Visits

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many education visits to English Heritage properties in respect for which free admission was granted there were in each of the last five years.

Barbara Follett: English Heritage state that the number of education visits to their properties in each of the last five years were as follows:
	
		
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Number of free educational visits 497,000 475,850 485,000 470,600 423,000 
			 Number taking part in discovery visits   (1) 10,400 27,000 
			 Total education visits 497,000 475,850 485,000 481,000 450,000 
			 (1) Programme launched 
		
	
	Admission for educational groups to English Heritage sites is always free. If, in addition to their visit, schools wish to book a special facilitated discovery visit, a charge of 60 is made towards the teaching costs of these sessions.
	The introduction of discovery visits was one of a range of responses made by English Heritage to pressures which have resulted in a gradual reduction in the number of education visits being made to its sites. Other responses have included free downloadable learning resources, support for teachers making risk assessments, and investment in new and improved education spaces at, for example, Lullingstone Roman Villa, Battle Abbey, Down House and Audley End.

Licensed Premises

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will review the number of temporary event notices for which licensed premises can apply; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: We currently have no plans to review the number of temporary event notices that can be given in relation to licensed premises.

Licensed Premises: Security

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether his Department has provided guidance to licensing authorities on the use of ID Clubscan scanners in licensed premises as a condition of entry into the premises.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 30 October 2008
	The Department has not provided any guidance to licensing authorities on this matter.

Mentally Ill Staff

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what information his Department has gathered on the effect of its policies and practices on the recruitment, development and retention of employees with mental illnesses within  (a) his Department and  (b) the public sector bodies for which he has responsibility; and what use has been made of that information.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Under the disability equality duty introduced by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, DCMS and our public sector bodies listed in the associated Regulations are required to publish and implement disability equality schemes. These are plans setting out how we will carry out the disability equality duty, monitor and report on progress. In particular this includes our arrangements for gathering information on the effect of our policies and practices on the recruitment, development and retention of disabled employees, including those with mental health conditions, and making use of that information.
	The public sector bodies sponsored by my Department that are subject to these requirements are responsible for publishing and implementing their own disability equality schemes.
	In addition, and in line with the disability equality duty, a report is published every three years to show: progress towards disability equality in my policy sector; and proposals for co-ordination of future work by relevant public bodies within my policy sector. These reports will show what impact, if any, policies have had on recruitment and retention of disabled people including those with a mental health condition, and set out proposals to address any gaps identified when establishing the progress made across the policy sector. The first report will be published by December 2008.
	Full information about both the equality scheme and the annual report on progress can be found on the DCMS website.
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications/3596.aspx
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications/5082.aspx

Overseas Visitors

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the average length of stay was for overseas visitors to the UK in each year since 1997.

Barbara Follett: The average length of stay for overseas visitors to the United Kingdom each year since 1997 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Average length of stay (Nights) 
			 1997 8.7 
			 1998 9.0 
			 1999 8.3 
			 2000 8.1 
			 2001 8.3 
			 2002 8.2 
			 2003 8.2 
			 2004 8.2 
			 2005 8.3 
			 2006 8.4 
			  Source:  International Passenger Survey (ONS). 
		
	
	Figures for 2007 are still to be published.

Tourism

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment Visit Britain has made of the impact of legislation and regulation on the tourism industry; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: VisitBritain has made no recent assessment of the impact of legislation and regulation on the tourism industry. Through the annual simplification plan process, the Government are taking action to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens on business arising from legislation. Any new legislation must go through a separate impact assessment process which considers the costs and benefits of the proposed regulation. DCMS will continue to liaise with the tourism and hospitality industry on better regulation matters.

Tourism

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when his Department plans to respond to the eighth report of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, HC 133-I, on tourism.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 3 November 2008
	The Government response to the eighth report of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on tourism was tabled on Monday 20 October.

UK Sport: Employment Agencies

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much  (a) UK Sport and  (b) Sport England spent on recruitment consultants in each of the last five years; and which companies provided these services.

Gerry Sutcliffe: UK Sport has provided the information in Table A for spend on recruitment consultants. The recruitment companies used were:
	Morgan Hunt
	Michael Page
	Page Personnel
	Ashdown Group
	Odgers Ray and Berndtson
	Anna Gillet
	Covent Garden Bureau.
	
		
			  Table A 
			  Financial Year  Cost of recruitment agencies () 
			 2003-04 9,324.62 
			 2004-05 60,825.28 
			 2005-06 67,655.99 
			 2006-07 5,567.50 
			 2007-08 54,302.87 
			 Total 197,676.26 
		
	
	Sport England has provided the information in Table B, which includes spend on recruitment consultants and external recruitment advertising as they are unable to disaggregate the various costs. The recruitment and advertising companies used were:
	Dynamic Finance plc
	John Wild Associates
	Capita Business Services Ltd.
	Excel Recruitment Ltd.
	Fairstaff Agency Ltd.
	Graduate Prospects
	Hays Construction and Property
	Hays Office Support
	Headway Recruitment
	jobswithballs.com
	Michael Page UK Ltd.
	Precise Selection Ltd.
	Price Guy Cholerton Ltd.
	Robert Half Ltd.
	Spherion Ltd.
	The Sports Recruitment Company Ltd.
	BSS Recruitment
	Greater Manchester Newspapers Ltd.
	Guardian Media Group plc
	Hays Human Resources
	LCL Media
	Lighthouse Adcomms LLP
	Nigel Lynn Associates Ltd.
	Odgers Ray and Berndston
	Pearson Press Ltd.
	Reed Employment
	Spring Personnel Ltd.
	SRG Select (trading name for sportweb.com.ltd)
	Badenoch and Clark
	Chase Anderson Ltd.
	COI Communications
	DP Media
	Interim Performers
	Page Personnel
	Rockpools People and Performance
	TMG CRB The Media Group.
	
		
			  Table B 
			  Financial Year  Cost of recruitment agencies () 
			 2003-04 96,604 
			 2004-05 256,756 
			 2005-06 411,034 
			 2006-07 529,888 
			 2007-08 465,123 
			 Total 1,759,405

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Aviation: Trade Competitiveness

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he expects Ofcom to publish its analysis of responses to its consultation Applying Spectrum Pricing to the Maritime and Aeronautical Sectors; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Ofcom's consultation on applying Administered Incentive Pricing to the Maritime and Aeronautical sectors runs from 30 July 2008 to 30 October 2008. The timing of any analysis of responses depends on the level of response Ofcom receives. Ofcom states in the consultation document that it is an initial consultation and that generally it aims to publish a summary of responses within two weeks of the consultation closing.

Chief Construction Officer

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the proposed  (a) functions and  (b) objectives of the proposed new Chief Construction Officer are.

Ian Pearson: Full details of the potential terms and scope of the role will be confirmed following engagement with both industry and public sector bodies as part of the operational efficiency programme announced by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury earlier this year.

Exports: Israel

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what guidance his Department provides to UK businesses wishing to trade with or invest in Israel with regard to not supporting illegal Israeli settlements.

Gareth Thomas: UK trade and investment provides a range of support services to companies wishing to trade with or invest in Israel. The Department is not involved in the negotiation or agreement of individual contracts following this support.

Fuel Poverty

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many and what proportion of  (a) households and  (b) individuals are in fuel poverty in each (i) county and (ii) region in England; what change this represents from the equivalent figures in 2002; what assistance his Department makes available to (A) families and (B) individuals to help with fuel costs; what the average amount paid by his Department is per (1) family and (2) individual experiencing fuel poverty; what plans he has to change this amount during the next six months; what conditions determine the amount received; what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on fuel poverty; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 10 September 2008
	I have been asked to reply.
	The most recently published data on households in fuel poverty relate to 2005 and show that, in England, there are around 1.5 million fuel poor households, approximately 7 per cent. of all households. The lowest level at which this data are broken down annually is by Government office region. Estimates of fuel poverty at this level are published online and shown below. The Government are planning to publish updated figures shortly.
	
		
			  Government office region  Number of fuel poor households 2005 (Thousand)  Percentage of households that are fuel poor 
			 North East 126 11.5 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 169 8.0 
			 North West 268 9.2 
			 East Midlands 145 8.1 
			 West Midlands 197 8.9 
			 South West 181 8.3 
			 East England 155 6.7 
			 South East 169 4.9 
			 London 120 3.9 
			
			 Total 1,529 7.2 
		
	
	No regional figures exist for 2002, so comparisons have been made for 2001. The following table sets out differences between the figures for 2005 and corresponding numbers for 2001. Note that in the table, a positive number indicates a rise in numbers to 2005 and a negative value represents a reduction.
	
		
			  Government office region  Number of fuel poor households (Thousand)  Percentage of households that are fuel poor 
			 North East 21 1.3 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside -69 -3.2 
			 North West -9 -0.7 
			 East Midlands -15 -0.9 
			 West Midlands -31 -2.0 
			 South West -20 -1.5 
			 East England 16 0.6 
			 South East -55 -1.8 
			 London -28 -1.1 
			
			 Total -191 -1.2 
		
	
	Fuel poverty is not measured at an individual level.
	Vulnerable households are helped by the Warm Front scheme in England which provides grants to low income households for energy efficiency measures to their homes. Just over 800 million has been allocated to this programme over the current three-year spending period. The Government announced recently an extra 74 million over the next two years for this scheme.
	Other forms of assistance include the winter fuel payments introduced by the Government in 1997 to help pensioners. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) spends around 2 billion a year on this programme. For this winter only, an extra investment of 575 million will be made to fund an additional payment of 50 to eligible households with someone aged 60-79 and 100 to eligible households with someone aged 80 or over. DWP also fund the cold weather payments, paying over 20 million in total over the last five years to eligible households experiencing sustained periods of cold weather. A further 1.5 billion will be provided over the next three years by the energy companies under their carbon emissions reduction target (CERT) obligations to fund energy efficiency improvements in a priority group of low income and elderly customers. In addition, in April my Department secured the individual agreement of the six largest energy suppliers to increase the level of their collective spend on social programmes, which include social tariffs and rebates, to 150 million a year by 2010-11.
	On 11 September, the Government announced further help, with an extra 1 billion package to tackle fuel poverty. The proposed new package includes 910 million towards the National Home Energy Saving Programme. This 910 million is made up of a 20 per cent. increase in funding for the existing CERT programme, with the remainder coming from a new Community Energy Saving Programme to be funded by energy suppliers and electricity generators. Throughout the country, a partnership of local councils, voluntary organisations and energy companies will carry out house-to-house calls to offer energy efficiency help in some of the most deprived areas of the UK. In addition, the Government will be increasing the cold weather payments from 8.50 to 25 per week for winter 2008-09.
	The Secretary of State has regular meetings with the Chancellor to discuss a range of issues, including fuel poverty.

Manufacturing Industries: Employment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent steps have been taken by the Government to increase levels of manufacturing employment.

Ian Pearson: The UK is the world's sixth largest manufacturerthe industry accounts for over half our exports, contributes 150 billion to the economy and around three million jobs. Manufacturing industries spent 75 per cent. of all business R and D in 2006 and the sector attracts more foreign direct investment than every other country in Europe and globally is second to the USA.
	The Government are strongly committed to providing support to the manufacturing sector and its Manufacturing Strategy: New Challenges, New Opportunities, launched on 8 September 2008, sets out the combined views of Government and industry of what the sector needs for success in the long term.

Nuclear Power

Steve Webb: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the effect of enhanced UK domestic nuclear generating capacity on UK dependence on imported gas; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: I have been asked to reply.
	We believe that nuclear power should be part of a future low-carbon electricity-generating mix so that we can reduce our carbon emissions and secure our energy supplies as the UK becomes a net importer of energy. Our thinking is set out in our Nuclear White Paper, in particular paragraphs 2.26-2.42 and Annex A, which is available on our website at
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/energy/sources/nuclear/whitepaper/page42765.html.

Trade Unions: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much in grants has been paid by the Government to trades unions in each year since 1997.

Patrick McFadden: Annual breakdowns of the expenditure before 2004 are not available. The following tables therefore give (a) the commitments to unions under the Partnership at Work Fund and, (b) actual payments under the Strategic Partnership Fund and the Union Modernisation Fund.
	
		
			  (a) Funds committed to unions 2000-03 
			  Union  Year in which commitment made  Amount given ()  Purpose 
			 AEEU 2000 49,912 Partnership Fund(1) 
			 Unison 2000 32,500 Partnership Fund 
			 Community and Youth Workers Union 2000 50,000 Partnership Fund 
			 Unison 2000 13,440 Partnership Fund 
			 TUC 2000 14,450 Partnership Fund 
			 TUC 2000 24,300 Partnership Fund 
			 Scottish TUC 2000 37,575 Partnership Fund 
			 MSF 2000 20,000 Partnership Fund 
			 Royal College of Midwives 2000 34,000 Partnership Fund 
			 MSF 2000 30,000 Partnership Fund 
			 MSF 2000 26,405 Partnership fund 
			 Unison 2000 50,000 Partnership fund 
			 
			 TGWU 2001 50,000 Partnership Fund 
			 Unison 2001 14,000 Partnership Fund 
			 
			 Numast 2002 36,800 Partnership Fund 
			 Amicus 2002 47,360 Partnership Fund 
			 TUC 2002 43,015 Partnership Fund 
			 TGWU 2002 42,276 Partnership Fund 
			 Royal College of Nursing 2002 18,650 Partnership Fund 
			 
			 Unison 2003 50,000 Partnership Fund 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Funds paid to unions 
			
			  Union  Amount given ()  Purpose 
			  Year ended 31 March 2005   
			 TUC 26,472 Strategic Partnership Fund(2) 
			 GPMU 3,880 Strategic Partnership Fund 
			 GMB 96,871 Strategic Partnership Fund 
			 Amicus 37,592 Strategic Partnership Fund 
			 TUC 12,544 Strategic Partnership Fund 
			 UCATT 61,045 Strategic Partnership Fund 
			
			  Year ended 31 March 2006   
			 TUC 21,512 Strategic Partnership Fund 
			 GMB 108,000 Strategic Partnership Fund 
			 Amicus 261,381 Strategic Partnership Fund 
			 TUC 34,270 Strategic Partnership Fund 
			 UCATT 69,898 Strategic Partnership Fund 
			
			  Year ended 31 March 2007   
			 GMB 15,000 Strategic Partnership Fund 
			 TUC 68,000 Strategic Partnership Fund 
			 UCATT 4,443 Strategic Partnership Fund 
			 GMB 23,340.53 Union Modernisation Fund(3) 
			 Wales TUC 12,252.64 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 National Union of Teachers 7,377.84 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Royal College of Midwives 43,329.35 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Union of Finance Staff 7,083.30 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 United Road Transport Union 24,330.00 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Community and District Nursing Association 8,125.65 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 British Dental Association 6,047.75 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Connect 28,647.63 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 USDAW 104,011.73 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers 32,489.00 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 National Union of Journalists 11,475.34 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 ASLEF 13,232.25 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 General Federation of Trade Unions 23,284.48 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Portman Group Staff Association 6,070.70 Union Modernisation Fund 
			  Year ended 31 March 2008   
			 Amicus 286,881.41 Strategic Partnership Fund 
			 PCS 17,500 Strategic Partnership Fund 
			 GMB 106,532.92 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Communication Workers Union 28,008.85 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Wales TUC 29,708.34 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 National Union of Teachers 20,285.64 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Royal College of Midwives 88,135.28 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Union of Finance Staff 41,776.70 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Unity (CATU) 15,192.76 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 United Road Transport Union 50,670.00 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Equity 22,737.50 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Transport and General Workers Union 47,535.05 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union 17,241.06 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Community and District Nursing Association 6,418.37 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Community 63,453.00 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 British Dental Association 15,329.00 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Transport Salaried Staffs' Association 46,618.70 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Connect 28,988.12 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 USDAW 82,811.00 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Prospect 78,621.69 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers 161,245.00 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 National Union of Journalists 43,145.52 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Trades Union Congress 62,695.00 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Community and Youth Workers Union 16,915.96 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Amicus 128,105.62 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 ASLEF 58,245.47 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 General Federation of Trade Unions 74,623.90 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Portman Group Staff Association 9,533.80 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Musicians' Union 17,788.00 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy 2,845.00 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Union of Construction Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT) 5,983.00 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Equity 7,691.30 Union Modernisation Fund 
			
			  From 31 March to 22 October 2008   
			 General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU) 15,122.48 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Trades Union Congress (TUC) 22,020.16 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Musicians' Union 14,426.00 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) 326.02 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 UNISON 22,633.11 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Association of Professionals in Education and Children's Trusts (Aspect) 5,100.00 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy 8,682.00 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 ACCORD 42,684.00 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU) 40,957.97 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 First Division Association (FDA) 27,437.00 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Trades Union Congress (TUC) 4,897.00 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Union of Construction Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT) 7,957.50 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU) 11,053.83 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Nautilus UK 8,199.37 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Equity 30,725.87 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Amicus the union 17,606.56 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Retained Firefighters Union 51,930.68 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Nationwide Group Staff Union 5,875.00 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 GMB 63,667.08 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Communication Workers Union 116,159.35 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union 33,405.42 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Wales TUC 83,681.18 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Lloyds TSB Group Union 22,322.60 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 National Union of Teachers 35,267.02 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 British Dental Association 780.25 Union Modernisation Fund 
			 Prospect 26,197.78 Union Modernisation Fund

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Departmental Written Questions

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many and what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day his Department has answered on the due date in the current session of Parliament to date.

Si�n Simon: The Department has received 259 named day questions this session of which 104 (40 per cent.) questions have been answered on time. There are a range of improvements under way to improve the Department's performance.

Higher Education: Admissions

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many and what proportion of university applications made by students at  (a) maintained schools and  (b) further education colleges were to Russell Group universities in the last 12 months.

David Lammy: The latest available information, covering applications for entry in autumn 2007, are shown in the table. The figures are taken from data collected by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) which are limited to students who apply to full-time undergraduate courses via the UCAS application system. The figures do not therefore cover part-time students, nor those full-time students who apply directly to higher education institutions.
	This Government are committed to increasing and widening participation in higher education, including to our most selective institutions. We want people from all backgrounds to be able and willing to go on to whatever HE best suits their potential and merit, a mission that we know is shared with the HE sector. There is much that this Government support to help make this happen, such as the Aimhigher Programme, and higher education institutions themselves do many things to reach out to students from a wide range of backgrounds.
	
		
			  Applications( 1)  to full-time undergraduate courses at UK institutions: by previous school type and type of institution y ear of entry 2007 
			   Type of institution 
			   Russell Group  Other institutions  Total 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			  Previous school type   
			 Maintained schools(2) 249,286 29.7 591,315 70.3 840,601 100.0 
			 FE/HE colleges(3) 138,707 17.8 638,998 82.2 777,705 100.0 
			 Independent schools 104,040 50.3 102,857 49.7 206,897 100.0 
			 Other(4) 10,850 27.1 29,227 72.9 40,077 100.0 
			 Unknown 28,140 19.2 118,575 80.8 146,715 100.0 
			 Total 531,023 26.4 1,480,972 73.6 2,011,995 100.0 
			 (1) In 2007, each applicant could submit up to six applications. The figures cover applications from students domiciled in the UK. (2) Maintained schools include comprehensive, grammar, sixth form centres, and other maintained. (3) Including sixth form colleges. (4) Includes adult colleges, language schools, special schools and miscellaneous institutions.  Source: UCAS

Higher Education: Admissions

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many  (a) UK nationals,  (b) nationals of other EU member states and  (c) non-EU nationals were (i) applicants and (ii) accepted applicants for university degree courses in (A) chemistry, (B) physics, (C) mathematics, (D) computer science and (E) engineering for the 2008-09 academic year.

David Lammy: The latest available information, covering applicants who had been accepted for entry as at 15 October, is shown in the following table. Comparable figures for applicants are not held centrally. The figures are taken from data collected by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) which are limited to students who apply to full-time undergraduate courses via the UCAS application system. The figures do not therefore cover part-time students, nor those full-time students who apply directly to higher education institutions.
	
		
			  Accepted applicants to full-time degree courses as at  15  Octobe r  by subject and home domicileyear of entry 2008 
			   Home domicile of student 
			   UK  EU  Other overseas  Total 
			 Chemistry 3,601 154 249 4,004 
			 Physics 2,964 185 176 3,325 
			 Mathematics 5,376 272 773 6,421 
			 Computer Science 9,247 621 717 10,585 
			 Engineering 15,373 1,857 4,787 22,017 
			  Note: Final figures for 2008 entry will be released by UCAS in mid-January.  Source: UCAS

Higher Education: Admissions

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with universities on the account to be taken in university admission arrangements of an A-level in a modern foreign language, if a student applying to a university is  (a) from the country where that language is indigenous,  (b) from a community in the UK where that language is spoken and  (c) is fluent in the language because it is spoken at home; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what information his Department holds on which universities do not accept A-levels in  (a) modern Hebrew,  (b) Gujarati,  (c) Hindi and  (d) Urdu as a qualification towards their minimum entry requirements; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what recent discussions he has had with universities on the relative value of A-levels in each modern language in applications to universities; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: I have had no discussions with universities on the subject requirements for student admissions. These are for each university to decide on the basis of the academic and professional needs of each course. If universities do have specific entry requirements for particular courses, these may be shown on their websites, and are generally replicated on the course information of the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service website. The Department does not hold that information.
	We have made it clear however that admissions policies should be open and transparent. I am aware that the Equality Challenge Unit and Supporting Professionalism in Admissions (SPA) have recently written to higher education institutions about the need to ensure that admissions procedures do not breach equality legislation in terms of the treatment of students with native language qualifications.
	Schools, in partnership with local Connexions services, are expected to provide young people with high quality and impartial, personalised information, advice and guidance about learning and careers that meets the needs of the individual. The Department for Children, Schools and Families is currently working with the Training and Development Agency for Schools to pilot approaches that will help all teachers to provide high quality advice on progression opportunities from their own subjects.

Students: Finance

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many part-time undergraduates were awarded full  (a) fees and  (b) maintenance grant in each year since 2005.

David Lammy: The rate of part-time fee grant depends on the intensity of the course. There are three maximum grant levels, for those studying at a rate equivalent to 50-59 per cent., 60-74 per cent., and 75 per cent. or more of a full-time course.
	
		
			  Part-time fee grant awarded by value, England 2005/06( 1) 
			  Value of grant  Students  Percentage 
			 Below 590 21,800 63 
			 590 (maximum for 50-59 per cent. intensity) 5,600 16 
			 591 to 709 1,000 3 
			 710 (maximum for 60-74 per cent. intensity) 1,600 5 
			 711 to 884 1,700 5 
			 885 (maximum for 75 per cent. or more intensity) 2,900 8 
			 Total 34,600 100 
			 (1) Approved applicants awarded grants by academic year. Student numbers rounded to nearest 100. Total may not agree with sum of component parts due to rounding.  Source: Student Loans Company and Open University applications data 
		
	
	
		
			  Part-time fee grant awarded by value, England 2006/07( 1) 
			  Value of grant  Students  Percentage 
			 Below 750 30,000 70 
			 750 (maximum for 50-59 per cent. intensity) 3,600 9 
			 751 to 899 2,300 5 
			 900 (maximum for 60-74 per cent. intensity) 1,800 4 
			 901 to 1,124 3,200 8 
			 1,125 (maximum for 75 per cent. or more intensity) 1,800 4 
			 Total 42,600 100 
			 (1) Approved applicants awarded grants by academic year. Student numbers rounded to nearest 100. Total may not agree with sum of component parts due to rounding.  Source: Student Loans Company and Open University applications data 
		
	
	Part-time students are not eligible for a maintenance grant. A grant is available to help with course costs.
	
		
			  Part-time course grant awarded, England, 2005/06 and 2006/07( 1) 
			   2005/06  2006/07 
			   Students  Percentage  Students  Percentage 
			 Below full course grant 500 1 500 1 
			 Full course grant (250) 36,700 99 44,400 99 
			 Total 37,100 100 44,900 100 
			 (1) Approved applicants awarded grants by academic year. Student numbers rounded to nearest 100. Total may not agree with sum of component parts due to rounding.  Source: Student Loans Company and Open University applications data 
		
	
	Data are not yet available for 2007/08, and are expected to be collated in January 2009. Statutory support for part-time students was first introduced in 2000/01. Unlike full-time students, many part-time students are in full-time employment and many receive full fee support from their employer.

Students: Finance

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many undergraduates entering higher education come from households with an income between  (a) 50,020 and  (b) 60,050 in 2008-09.

David Lammy: Complete information on household incomes of students is not available centrally.
	During November the Student Loans Company will publish the Statistical First Release Student Support for Higher Education in England, Academic Year 2008/09 (Provisional). This will include early provisional information on grants in 2008/09 and complete information on grants in academic year 2007/08.
	In compliance with the National Statistics framework, information is embargoed until publication of the Statistical First Release.

Students: Grants

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many and what proportion of undergraduates entering higher education courses in 2008-09 received a maintenance grant of 50.

David Lammy: The requested information is not yet available.
	During November the Student Loans Company will publish the Statistical First Release Student Support for Higher Education in England, Academic Year 2008/09 (Provisional). This will include early provisional information on grants in 2008/09 and complete information on grants in academic year 2007/08.
	In compliance with the National Statistics framework, information is embargoed until publication of the Statistical First Release.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Academies: Personal Social and Health Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether he plans to make personal, social and health education a compulsory subject for academies; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: There are no plans to make personal, social, and health education a compulsory subject in academies. However, we expect all academies to teach a broad and balanced curriculum, and ensure the curriculum meets the needs of their pupils.

Adoption

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what the average age was of children at adoption in each of the last 10 years, broken down by ethnicity;
	(2)  for how many children of each  (a) ethnicity and  (b) age was it decided that adoption was in their best interest in each of the last 10 years.

Beverley Hughes: Information on the date a decision is made that adoption is in the best interest is currently collected retrospectively only for those children who are adopted. However we shall be making a change to our data collection from 2008-09 which will mean we would be able to provide this information for children when the decision is made, irrespective of whether the adoption has taken place.
	The available information on characteristics of looked-after-children who are adopted can be found in table E1, taken from the Statistical First Release (SFR 23/2008) entitled 'Children Looked After in England (Including Adoption and Care Leavers) Year Ending 31 March 2008'. This shows the number of looked-after-children adopted during the years ending 31 March 2004 to 2008 by gender, age at adoption, ethnic origin, category of need, final legal status, duration of final period of care and age on starting final period of care.
	The SFR is located at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000810/index.shtml
	and table E1 can be found within the first set of Excel tables on the website.
	This table includes information for the last five years and shows the average age at adoption. Information for each of the last 10 years and a breakdown by both age and ethnicity can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Children: Databases

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families the children of which groups of people will be excluded from having their details on ContactPoint; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 3 November 2008
	ContactPoint will hold basic identifying information on all children in England until they reach 18. In the case of young people with learning disabilities or those leaving care, the record can be retained up to the age of 25, with their consent.
	Children visiting England for their or their families' holidays will not be recorded on ContactPoint. Provision has been made for the retention of a child's record on ContactPoint for up to three years if they leave England with the full intention to return. This is to ensure that, for example, the records of children of service personnel or diplomats are not lost from the system when they are posted outside England with their family.

Class Sizes: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the pupil-teacher ratio was in each local education authority in the East of England at key stage  (a) one,  (b) two and  (c) three in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: Pupil-teacher ratios figures are not available by key stage because the teacher numbers from which they are derived are collected by phase of education only. Figures by phase of education are available through the following links for each local authority in England back to January 1998:
	 January 1998 (Table 7a)
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000130/index.shtml
	 January 1999 (Table 7a)
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000109/index.shtml
	 January 2000 (Table 7a)
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000192/index.shtml
	 January 2001 (Table 7a)
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DBA/VOL/v000288/index.shtml
	 January 2002 (Table 7a)
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000359/index.shtml
	 January 2003 (Table 7a)
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000417/index.shtml
	 January 2004 (Table 7a)
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000495/index.shtml
	 January 2005 (Table 21)
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000603/index.shtml
	 January 2006 (Table 25)
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000603/index.shtml
	 January 2007 (Table 25)
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000743/index.shtml
	 January 2008 (Table 27)
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000743/index.shtml

Class Sizes: East of England

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average  (a) middle and  (b) upper school class size was in each constituency in the East of England in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The available information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

General Certificate of Secondary Education

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 23 October 2008,  Official Report, column 577W, on the General Certificate of Secondary Education, if he will give an itemised breakdown of the calculation used to estimate the cost of providing the requested information in full.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 30 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1305-06W.

General Certificate of Secondary Education: Disadvantaged

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils eligible for free school meals did not obtain a  (a) C grade or above in any GCSE,  (b) C grade or above in mathematics GCSE and  (c) C grade or above in English GCSE in 2008.

Jim Knight: The information required to answer this PQ can be derived from the National Pupil Database. Analysis of the 2008 key stage 4 data will be available once the NPD Statistical First Release has been published in December.

Inspections

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many inspectors were employed by his Department in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 1997-98.

Jim Knight: Inspection of provision related to the Department's remit is the responsibility of Ofsted. At the end of 1998, Ofsted, as the Office for Standards in Education, employed 205 Her Majesty's Inspectors, all of whom were responsible for school inspection. It subsequently took on responsibility for the regulation and inspection of child care, and the inspection of 16-19 provision in further education colleges. In April 2007, Ofsted became the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills. Its remit expanded further to include adult learning, children's social care and the administration of Cafcass, the children and families courts advisory support service. As of 30 September 2008, it employed 375 Her Majesty's Inspectors of Education, Children's Services and Skills, 663 Childcare Inspectors and 172 Social Care Inspectors.

Languages: Assessments

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in which modern languages are  (a) A-levels and  (b) GCSE qualifications available; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: GCSE and A-level qualifications are available in the following modern languages: Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Modern Greek, Bengali, Modern Hebrew, Panjabi, Polish, Dutch, Gujarati, Persian, Portuguese, Turkish, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Urdu and Russian.
	New GCSE specifications, including new arrangements for oral assessment, will be taught from September 2009. Revised A-level specifications were introduced for first teaching from September 2008.

Learning and Skills Improvement Service

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding his Department contributes towards supporting the Learning and Skills Improvement Service.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: In 2008-09 this Department has provided 45.42 million in specific grants to the Learning and Skills Improvement Service.

Learning Disability: Young Offenders

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent discussions his Department has had with the Ministry of Justice on improving support for children with learning difficulties in young offender institutions.

Beverley Hughes: The Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Ministry of Justice have joint responsibility for policy for youth justice, including education and related services such as support for young people with learning difficulties. The Government published the Youth Crime Action Plan in July which included a commitment to consider how we best meet young offenders' special educational needs in juvenile custody. The document noted that plans will be developed within the context of the evidence and recommendations from the Bercow Review of provision for speech, language and communication needs, and Sir Jim Rose's recommendations on the identification and teaching of children with dyslexia.

Mathematics: Teachers

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to encourage  (a) more mathematics graduates to enter the teaching profession and  (b) more graduates to become mathematics teachers.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The measures to increase the number of teachers of mathematics focus both on increasing the number of mathematics graduates entering teaching and on enabling graduates of other subjects to train to become specialist teachers of mathematics.
	Measures include:
	Mathematics is a key priority in the targeted cross-media recruitment campaign promoting teaching as a career;
	9,000 training bursaries and 5,000 Golden Hello payments for mathematics trainees who go on to work in a state school;
	Subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) coursesintensive conversion courses of four to nine months for graduates of other subjects to retrain as teachers of mathematics: this programme is being doubled in 2009;
	Transition to Teaching, a new programme which works with employers to target graduates leaving employment and attract them into teaching.

Mathematics: Teachers

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many mathematics graduates entered the teaching profession at  (a) primary and  (b) secondary level in the last period for which figures are available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Data relating to all mathematics graduates entering the teaching profession is not held centrally.
	The following table shows the number of mainstream final year postgraduate secondary initial teacher training (ITT) trainees for whom the subject of their ITT training was mathematics and who have a first degree or a related degree in mathematics, and are known to have entered a teaching post six months after gaining qualified teacher status (QTS). Figures exclude those who have trained through employment based routes, and those seeking teaching posts, not seeking such posts, or with an unknown destination.
	A similar analysis is not available for primary ITT Trainees.
	
		
			   Number of final year mathematics secondary-ITT trainees known to enter a teaching post six months after gaining QTS 
			   First degree in mathematics  First degree in mathematics related subject 
			 2006/07 610 410 
			  Notes: 1. Mainstream includes universities and other higher education institutions, SCITT and OU, but excludes employment based routes (EBR).  2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  3. Data relating to the employment status of trainees through EBR is not currently collected.  4. Performance profiles data is collected at the end of a trainees first year, therefore 2007/08 data is collected in autumn 2008 and will be published in July 2009.  5. The table only covers those who hold a first degree in the subject of their ITT training course, it does not cover those who have a first degree in mathematics but are entering an ITT course which is not mathematics.  6. There are additional postgraduate trainees on mathematics ITT courses where the first degree is unknown, so there are potentially more mathematics graduates entering teaching posts.  7. Figures include trainees who enter maintained schools, non-maintained schools and schools where the sector is unknown.  8. Trainees known not to be employed in teaching posts six months after gaining QTS include those who are seeking a teaching post and those who are not seeking a teaching post and those with an unknown destination.  9. The figures only cover those who are known to enter a teaching post six months after gaining QTS; therefore those who enter teaching after this will not be covered. This will also not include graduates who enter teaching who are not newly qualified teachers.  Source:  TDA's Performance Profiles.

National Curriculum Tests

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils obtained level 2 or above in key stage 1  (a) English and  (b) mathematics tests in 2003 but did not obtain level 4 or above in key stage 2 tests in 2007.

Jim Knight: The figures required can be found in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of pupils 
			   Achieving level 2 or above in KS1 in 2003, and not achieving level 4 or above in KS2 in 2007  Achieving level 2 or above in KS1 in 2003, and achieving level 4 or above in KS2 in 2007  Achieving level 2 or above in KS1 in 2003  With eligible results for both KS1 in 2003 and KS2 in 2007 
			 English(1) 47,994 412,891 441,736 572,283 
			 Mathematics 27,723 421,368 424,518 574,850 
			 (1) English is not a tested subject at key stage 1 and has been calculated from the results in reading and writing.

Primary Education: Class Sizes

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils were being taught in primary schools with over 800 pupils in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2008.

Jim Knight: The requested information is given in the table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary schools( 1) : Number (headcount) of pupils in primary schools with more than 800 pupils( 2) position in January each year 1997 and 2008England 
			   1997  2008 
			 Number of pupils in primary schools 4,429,040 4,087,790 
			 Number of primary schools 18,392 17,205 
			 Number of primary schools with more than 800 pupils 11 18 
			 Percentage of primary schools with more than 800 pupils 0.1 0.1 
			 Number of pupils in primary schools with more than 800 pupils 9,270 15,760 
			 Percentage of pupils in primary schools with more than 800 pupils 0.2 0.4 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Excludes dually registered pupils.  Note: Pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Primary Education: Class Sizes

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families for what activities infant schools may form classes of over 30 pupils; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Legislation limits the size of an infant class during an 'ordinary teaching session' to 30 pupils per school teacher. Section 4 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 states that an 'ordinary teaching session' does not include a school assembly or other school activity usually conducted with large groups of pupils. We do not prescribe every type of activity that would not be classed as an ordinary teaching session, but guidance to schools and local authorities provides the following examples: PE/games, music, singing, drama, watching television and listening to the radio.

Primary Education: Disadvantaged

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many primary schools have more than  (a) 30 per cent.,  (b) 50 per cent. and  (c) 70 per cent. of pupils eligible for free school meals.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The requested information is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Maintained primary schools( 1) : Number of schools by percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals( 2) , position in January 2008, England 
			   Number of schools 
			 More than 30 per cent. 2,341 
			  Of which:  
			 More than 50 per cent. 402 
			 More than 70 per cent. 16 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed.  (2) Includes pupils with sole and dual registration of all ages.   Source:  School Census.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department plans to spend per school pupil in each local education authority in the East of England in 2008-09; and how much was spent in each academic year since 1997-98.

Jim Knight: The revenue funding figures per pupil aged three to 19 for each local authority in the East of England for years 1997-98 to 2005-06 are as follows. These figures are in real terms.
	
		
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Bedfordshire 3,100 3,160 3,280 3,570 3,770 3,880 3,950 4,100 4,300 
			 Cambridgeshire 2,940 3,020 3,180 3,400 3,530 3,610 3,790 3,960 4,150 
			 Essex 3,200 3,260 3,370 3,620 3,800 3,890 3,990 4,160 4,320 
			 Hertfordshire 3,200 3,260 3,360 3,610 3,780 3,880 3,950 4,110 4,260 
			 Luton 3,410 3,450 3,630 3,880 4,080 4,210 4,400 4,540 4,780 
			 Norfolk 3,100 3,150 3,280 3,540 3,710 3,810 3,900 4,060 4,250 
			 Peterborough 3,190 3,270 3,450 3,690 3,830 3,980 4,180 4,400 4,600 
			 Southend-on-Sea 3,310 3,340 3,460 3,720 3,920 4,030 4,100 4,270 4,450 
			 Suffolk 3,040 3,070 3,180 3,420 3,570 3,680 3,750 3,910 4,090 
			 Thurrock 3,360 3,430 3,540 3,780 3,990 4,110 4,230 4,430 4,540 
		
	
	The revenue per pupil figures shown in the following table are taken from the dedicated schools grant (DSG) which was introduced in April 2006. They are not comparable with those for the years 1997-98 to 2005-06 because the introduction of the DSG in 2006-07 fundamentally changed how local authorities are funded.
	The 1997-98 to 2005-06 figures are based on education formula spending (EFS) which formed the education part of the local government finance settlement, plus various grants. This was an assessment of what local authorities needed to fund education rather than what they spent. The DSG is based largely on an authority's previous spending. In addition, the DSG has a different coverage to EFS. EFS comprised a schools block and an LEA block (to cover LEA central functions) whereas DSG only covers the school block. LEA block items are still funded through DCLG's local government finance settlement but education items cannot be separately identified. Consequently, there is a break in the Department's time series as the two sets of data are not comparable.
	To provide a comparison for 2006-07 DSG, the Department have isolated the schools block equivalent funding in 2005-06; as described, this does not represent the totality of 'education' funding in that year.
	The figures as follows are for all funded pupils aged three to 19.
	
		
			   DSG baseline plus grants  DSG plus grants 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Bedfordshire 3,990 4,110 4,250 4,280 
			 Cambridgeshire 3,850 3,980 4,110 4,160 
			 Essex 4,030 4,150 4,290 4,320 
			 Hertfordshire 4,060 4,150 4,290 4,370 
			 Luton 4,430 4,630 4,800 4,810 
			 Norfolk 4,000 4,110 4,250 4,280 
			 Peterborough 4,300 4,450 4,580 4,650 
			 Southend-on-Sea 4,240 4,360 4,480 4,490 
			 Suffolk 3,870 4,000 4,160 4,200 
			 Thurrock 4,180 4,390 4,550 4,560 
			  Note: 1. Price Base: Real terms at 2007-08 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 30 September 2008.

Reading: Teaching Methods

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment his Department has made of the  (a) short and  (b) potential longer-term effect on children's reading of the Every Child a Reader pilot projects.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The latest evaluation commissioned by the Institute of Education show Every Child a Reader to have a very positive effect on raising the attainment levels of children struggling to read at KS1. In schools funded through the programme, children receiving reading recovery lessons made on average a gain of 21 months in reading age in four to five months of teachingwell over four times the normal rate of progress. Children receiving reading recovery are routinely followed up after they have finished their programmes, to make sure that their progress is maintained. After six months children taught through Every Child a Reader had developed a normal rate of learning.
	In 2008 Burroughs-Lange published a reading recovery follow up study comparing the literacy progress of young children in London schools. This study followed up the impact on children's literacy in London schools a year or more after intervention had been received. In the 2005-06 school year literacy progress was compared of the lowest achieving children in 42 schools serving disadvantaged urban areas who received reading recovery compared with those in schools which provided a range of other interventions. At the end of the 2005/06 main studythe literacy achievement of children who had received reading recovery (RR) was in line with their chronological age. The comparison group was 14 months behind with an average reading age of five years five months.
	In July 2007 the literacy achievement was again compared of those same children remaining in the same 42 schools. At the end of year two the children who had received RR in year one were achieving within or above their chronological age band on all measures and were still around a year ahead of the comparison children in schools where RR was not available. The RR children had an average word reading age of seven years nine months, compared to six years nine months for the comparison children. The gender gap that was noticeable among low attaining comparison children, with boys lagging behind girls, was not evident in RR schools, where there was no gender gap. Writing achievement showed a significant difference between RR and comparison children. At the end of year two, the children who had received RR were able to write twice as many correctly spelled, words as those children who were in the comparison group.

Safer School Partnerships

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what progress has been made by schools in establishing safer school partnerships with local police.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Youth Crime Action Plan, published on 15 July, announced that every school that wants one should be able to be part of an SSP, subject to local resources.
	We are working with the Home Office and ACPO on a survey of current Safer School Partnership (SSP) provision that will provide an up to date picture in terms of scale, objectives and the outcomes of projects. The results of the survey will help inform and drive the future development of SSP provision.
	The survey forms part of a wider strategy to share good practice and encourage local partners to come together which we are taking forward in a series of conferences beginning in November. The conferences will promote the benefits of SSPs and explore more widely issues around safety in schools. The audit and conferences will inform the new guidance for practitioners, which we expect to publish early next year.
	Additional funding for SSPs was included in the extra 3 million for the 10 police forces involved in the Tackling Knives Action Programme, announced by the Home Secretary on 21 October.
	We are not promoting SSPs in Wales. The Welsh Assembly and Welsh police forces have set up a programme, the All-Wales School Liaison Core Programme that is broadly similar to SSPS.

Schools: Voluntary Work

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent steps the Government has taken to encourage schools to promote volunteering.

Beverley Hughes: The Government are encouraging all children and young people to volunteer. Through primary school, children learn about being active citizens and from the ages of 11 to 16, pupils take part in 'informed and responsible action' as part of the citizenship curriculum. The duty on schools to promote community cohesion is encouraging schools to strengthen links with their local communities. This is leading to more young people volunteering for community citizenship activities and different forms of individual and collective action. In addition, through the national PE and sport strategy, over 1 million pupilsaround 16 per cent.are now actively involved in sports volunteering and leadership on a regular basis. 23 million has been invested in this area in the last six years.
	The Government are committed to helping to motivate and support young people to volunteer and we are working with other agencies and other Government Departments to ensure that this moves forward.

Special Educational Needs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether consideration of schools'  (a) exclusion and  (b) anti-bullying policies will form part of Ofsted's reviewing special educational needs from 2009.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: We are considering the detailed remit of the 2009/10 Ofsted review of special educational needs (SEN), including whether schools' policies on exclusion and bullying of children with SEN should fall within scope.

Teachers: Pensions

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average payment per person to members of the teachers' pension scheme was in 2008.

Jim Knight: The latest year for which this information is available is 2006-07. The average annual pension per person for that year was approximately 9,000.

Teachers: Training

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of newly qualified teachers acquired qualified teacher status through training on the Graduate Teacher Programme in each year since 2005.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The following table shows the number and percentage of trainees who successfully completed the Graduate Teacher programme in each year from 2004/05 to 2006/07, the most recent year for which data are available.
	
		
			  Teachers gaining qualified teacher status: Qualification via the Graduate Teacher Programme, 2004/05 to 2006/07, England 
			   Trainees successfully completing the Graduate Teacher programme 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 2004/05 5,090 15.1 
			 2005/06 4,600 13.9 
			 2006/07 5,140 15.1 
			  Notes:  1. Percentages are based on the total number of teachers gaining qualified teacher status in that year. This includes universities and other higher education institutions, SCITT and Open University as well as employment based routes and cases where QTS is granted on assessment-based training.  2. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  TDA Performance Profiles

Languages: GCE A-level

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what advice is provided to prospective A-level modern language students on the acceptability of each modern language A-level qualification to universities as part of their admission requirements; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	I have had no discussions with universities on the subject requirements for student admissions. These are for each university to decide on the basis of the academic and professional needs of each course. If universities do have specific entry requirements for particular courses, these may be shown on their websites, and are generally replicated on the course information of the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service website. The Department does not hold that information.
	We have made it clear however that admissions policies should be open and transparent. I am aware that the Equality Challenge Unit and Supporting Professionalism in Admissions (SPA) have recently written to higher education institutions about the need to ensure that admissions procedures do not breach equality legislation in terms of the treatment of students with native language qualifications.
	Schools, in partnership with local Connexions services, are expected to provide young people with high quality and impartial, personalised information, advice and guidance about learning and careers that meets the needs of the individual. The Department for Children, Schools and Families is currently working with the Training and Development Agency for Schools to pilot approaches that will help all teachers to provide high quality advice on progression opportunities from their own subjects.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on proposals from the French Presidency of the EU 
	(1)  that more than 65 per cent. of greenhouse gas emissions reductions under the non-traded sector should be delivered through the Clean Development Mechanism or Joint Implementation;
	(2)  that more than 45 per cent. of emissions reductions under the Emissions Trading Scheme should be delivered through the Clean Development Mechanism or Joint Implementation.

Joan Ruddock: The Government believe that there should be more access to project credits in the EU emissions trading scheme than is provided for in the Commission proposal for revising the scheme. This would allow for harmonisation of access among installations in the EU. The UK Government would like to see project credit access in both the EU emissions trading scheme and greenhouse gas (GHG) effort-share limited to 50 per cent. of absolute effort (in the context of the overarching principle that 50 per cent. of absolute emissions reductions from 2005 must take place within the EU).
	We are still considering what this 50 per cent. of absolute effort principle means in quantitative terms across the EU ETS and the non-traded sector. This is difficult because the EU ETS runs across the time period 2008 to 2020, while the non-traded sector runs across the period 2013 to 2020. We need to be sure that we get the balance right to demonstrate that Europe is serious about the transition to a low carbon economy through emission reductions within its borders. We should not rely disproportionately on third countries in order to meet Europe's own targets.

Carbon Emissions: Housing

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assistance his Department makes available under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Targets Scheme to park home residents.

Joan Ruddock: There is limited assistance that can be given to park home residents under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) due to the nature of their homes, which make them harder to insulate than many others. Although the Government set the overall CERT target, it is open to energy suppliers how they meet their targets. Suppliers promote the most cost effective energy saving measures including cavity wall and loft insulation. Measures such as external or internal wall insulation for park homes are not currently as cost effective as other energy saving measures, so are less attractive to energy suppliers. Park homes residents are eligible for assistance for low energy lamps and efficient appliances.

Carbon Emissions: Housing

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what domestic carbon dioxide emissions on the environmental accounts basis have been in each year since 1990.

Joan Ruddock: Office for National Statistics (ONS) Environmental Accounts produce estimates of air emissions, including carbon dioxide, annually.
	The ONS Environmental Accounts measure greenhouse gas emissions on a UK residents basis, in order to be comparable with National Accounts economic data. Therefore, they include emissions generated by UK households and companies in the UK and emissions from UK households' and companies' transport and travel activities abroad. They exclude emissions generated by non-residents' transport and travel in the UK.
	As such, these data are on a different basis from estimates published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs under the UK's Kyoto Protocol obligations. The Kyoto Protocol basis covers emissions from UK territory only and excludes emissions from international aviation and shipping.
	The most recent publication was on 3 June 2008 and data for the period 1990 to 2006 are available on the National Statistics website.
	These data show that total carbon dioxide emissions for the United Kingdom on a National Accounts residents basis are as follows:
	
		
			   Total CO 2  emissions (thousand tonnes, CO 2  equivalent) 
			 1990 627,886 
			 1991 635,514 
			 1992 620,284 
			 1993 608,030 
			 1994 601,252 
			 1995 593,596 
			 1996 620,542 
			 1997 600,321 
			 1998 606,170 
			 1999 597,374 
			 2000 608,834 
			 2001 624,295 
			 2002 609,278 
			 2003 624,439 
			 2004 631,743 
			 2005 634,450 
			 2006 626,295

Climate Change

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps the Government plans to take to support scientific projects which seek to curb climate change, with particular reference to projects  (a) in their infancy and  (b) which are finding difficulties in securing capital funding.

Joan Ruddock: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and its predecessors have a long established record of supporting UK science to understand current and future climate change and its impacts. Currently DECC is directly responsible for about 31 million of climate change research annually, including supporting the world-leading research at the Met Office Hadley Centre (MOHC) to the tune of about 15 million each year, through their Integrated Climate Programme (ICP). The ICP is also jointly funded by the Ministry of Defence.
	A primary output of the MOHC research and modelling is to provide advice with regard to future climate change and the risks of climate change. It provides evidence to DECC which is used to develop policy on curbing climate change.
	DECC is working with DEFRA, other Government Departments and research councils to frame and implement new work, aimed at more fully integrating robust natural science research with that needed to deliver evidence to enable societies to adapt better to unavoidable climate change.
	The challenge of moving towards a lower carbon economy requires us to develop a portfolio of low carbon energy technologies such as carbon abatement technologies, hydrogen and fuel cells, nuclear power and renewables. Public sector funding bodies all recognise low carbon energy technologies as a priority and are working closely to ensure that funding is co-ordinatedand that funding effectively supports the portfolio of technologies that will deliver CO2 reductions.
	Capital grant and other funding for low carbon and renewable energy technologies is provided under the Environmental Transformation Fund (ETF). Under the UK element of the ETF, DECC supports the demonstration and pre-commercial deployment of innovative low carbon and energy efficiency demonstration technologies, and aims to accelerate their commercialisation in the UK. The scheme aims to address market failures at the demonstration and pre-commercial deployment stage, where developers of new and innovative energy technologies can have difficulty in securing capital funding. The fund operates by means of technology-specific schemes, with projects selected on a competitive basis.
	Over the next three years, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) funded Research Councils will be investing over 300 million in energy research and over 360 million in research that will address living with environmental change.
	The Natural Environment Research Council currently spends 66 million per annum that is directly attributable to fundamental aspects of climate change.

Climate Change: Aviation

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what evidence his Department has  (a) received and  (b) evaluated on the science of non-carbon dioxide climate change impacts from aviation, including radiactive forcing and the effect of emissions at altitude; and whether his Department is funding any research on total climate impacts of aviation due to radiactive forcing.

Joan Ruddock: The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has commissioned a report looking at the effect of aviation on radiative forcing of climate through not only its emission of CO2, but also NOx and the effects of contrails and aircraft-induced cirrus.
	Although much remains to be done on improving modelling at global and regional scales, the report (which is not yet finalised) demonstrates more clearly the effect of NOx emissions from aviation on ozone and methane emissions and the impact of aircraft altitude on temperature.
	Mitigation of aviation emissions, including the complex technological and atmospheric tradeoffs, is also discussed in the report. A core issue is how to balance the long-term effect of CO2 against shorter-term effects such as those from ozone, contrails and aircraft-induced cirrus that have equal or greater radiative magnitude than CO2. Particular focus has been given to the potential for reducing contrail radiative forcing by modifying flight altitude.

Departmental Manpower

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's organisational chart.

Mike O'Brien: The new Department will consist of posts taken from the existing Departments for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (DEFRA). The detail is still being worked on but the Department of Energy and Climate Change will contain roughly 900 posts, approximately 500 from BERR and 400 from DEFRA. Once the detail has been agreed, the information on the organisation of posts will be made a matter of public record.

Departmental Manpower

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff are employed by his Department  (a) on a full-time equivalent basis and  (b) on a headcount basis, broken down by civil service grade.

Mike O'Brien: The new Department (DECC) will consist of posts taken from the existing Departments for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and from Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (DEFRA). The detail is still being worked on, but the Department of Energy and Climate Change will comprise roughly 900 posts, approximately 500 from BERR and 400 from DEFRA. Once the detail has been agreed, the information on numbers of posts will be a matter of public record.

Departmental Manpower

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff in his Department were  (a) transferred from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform,  (b) transferred from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,  (c) transferred from other Government departments and  (d) not transferred from another Government department.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 20 October 2008
	The new Department (DECC) will consist of posts taken from the existing Departments for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and from Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (DEFRA). The detail is still being worked on, but the Department of Energy and Climate Change will comprise roughly 900 posts, approximately 500 from BERR and 400 from DEFRA. Once the detail has been agreed, the information on numbers of posts will be a matter of public record.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the annual budget is of his Department, broken down by expenditure type.

Mike O'Brien: The final budget will be agreed once negotiations on the Machinery of Government changes with BERR, DEFRA and HMT are complete.

Departmental Standards

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what performance targets his Department has inherited from other Government Departments; and what progress had been made towards meeting them.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 21 October 2008
	The Machinery of Government document of 3 October 2008 details the targets that DECC has inherited as follows:
	Lead the global effort to avoid dangerous climate change (PSA);
	Climate change tackled internationally and through domestic action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (DSO);
	Ensure the reliable supply and efficient use of clean, safe and competitively priced energy (DSO);
	Manage energy liabilities effectively and responsibly (DSO);
	DECC will contribute to BERR's DSO to deliver free and fair markets, with greater competition, for businesses, consumers and employees;
	Progress against these will have been reported on in BERR and DEFRA publications to date and DECC will be reporting on the targets as part of its annual report.

Energy: Housing

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many green homes service regional advice centres are in operation; when each centre was opened; and how many enquiries each centre dealt with.

Joan Ruddock: Following the Green Homes announcement by the Prime Minister in November 2007, the Energy Saving Trust accelerated the roll out of its network of advice centres, which form the key delivery channel for all the Green Homes services.
	There are 21 centres now operational, including five covering Scotland funded by the Scottish Government. The centres provide independent, impartial advice on energy efficiency, microgeneration and renewable energy, low carbon transport, water efficiency and waste reduction and a range of services that will help consumers to take action.
	The details of the 16 regional advice centres that are funded by my Department are listed as follows.
	
		
			  Date opened  EST advice centre  Number of inquiries since opening 
			  2007   
			 5 November London 86,090 
			 16 November Wales 67,600 
			
			  2008   
			 1 April Northern Ireland 30,161 
			 1 May North West 1 Merseyside and Cheshire 16,917 
			 1 May North West 2 Greater Manchester 14,750 
			 1 September West Midlands 2,386 
			 1 September East Midlands 1,434 
			 8 September North West 3 Cumbria and Lancashire 5,177 
			 15 September Yorkshire and Humber 1 N. Yorkshire 3,065 
			 15 September Yorkshire and Humber 2 S and W Yorkshire 4,010 
			 29 September South West (1) 
			 1 October Eastern 1 Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridge (1) 
			 1 October Eastern 2 Essex, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire (1) 
			 6 October South East 1 Thames Valley Solent (1) 
			 6 October South East 2 Kent Surrey and Sussex (1) 
			 1 April North East 39,155 
			 (1) Information unavailable until November 2008.

Energy: Imports

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much  (a) oil and  (b) gas was imported in 2007, broken down by country of origin; and what percentage of the total was imported from each country.

Mike O'Brien: The following tables show imports into the UK of crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas by country of origin during 2007.
	In 2007 Norway accounted for two-thirds of the UK's crude oil and natural gas imports. Imports of petroleum products are more diverse in origin, with most (15 per cent.) coming from the Netherlands.
	
		
			  UK imports of crude oil in 2007 by country 
			  Million tonnes 
			  Country of origin  Total crude oil  imports  Percentage of total crude oil imports 
			 Algeria 2.2 4.4 
			 Nigeria 1.0 2.1 
			 Norway 32.5 65.2 
			 Russia 6.1 12.1 
			 Venezuela 1.5 2.9 
			 Other Africa 1.7 3.5 
			 Other Europe 1.6 3.3 
			 Other Latin America 0.7 1.4 
			 Other near and middle east 1.4 2.9 
			 Other 1.1 2.2 
			
			 Total 49.9 100 
			  Source: Department of Energy and Climate Change 
		
	
	
		
			  UK imports of petroleum products in 2007 by country 
			  Million tonnes 
			  Country of origin  Total petroleum product imports  Percentage of total petroleum product imports 
			 Belgium 2.3 9.8 
			 Denmark 0.3 1.3 
			 Estonia 0.9 3.7 
			 France 2.6 11.0 
			 Germany 1.1 4.7 
			 Kuwait 2.5 10.3 
			 Latvia 1.3 5.4 
			 Netherlands 3.5 14.7 
			 Norway 0.5 1.9 
			 Russia 1.3 5.5 
			 Saudi Arabia 1.6 6.6 
			 Sweden 1.8 7.5 
			 Venezuela 0.5 2.1 
			 Other Europe 1.1 4.5 
			 Other near and middle east 0.9 3.9 
			 Other 1.7 7.1 
			
			 Total 23.8 100 
			  Source: Department of Energy and Climate Change 
		
	
	
		
			  UK imports of natural gas in 2007 by country 
			  Million 
			  Country of origin  Total gas imports  Percentage of total gas imports 
			 Belgium 1.9 6.2 
			 Netherlands 7.1 23.1 
			 Norway 20.3 66.2 
			 LNG 1.4 4.5 
			  Of which:   
			 Algeria 0.6 2.0 
			 Egypt 0.2 0.5 
			 Qatar 0.2 0.8 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 0.4 1.2 
			
			 Total 30.7 100 
			  Source: Department of Energy and Climate Change

Energy: Meters

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of  (a) the number of people paying energy bills through prepayment meters and  (b) the average annual cost of paying energy bills by (i) prepayment meters and (ii) direct debit.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is published quarterly in Quarterly Energy Prices, available online at:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/energy/statistics/publications/prices/index.html
	The latest edition from September 2008 shows that as at the end of June 2008, there were approximately 3.9 million electricity prepayment customers and 2.4 million gas prepayment customers.
	This publication also holds provisional 2008 yearly bills, based on standard consumption figures of 3,300 kWh for electricity and 18,000 kWh for gas. The following is taken from tables 2.2.1 and 2.3.1.
	
		
			  2008 Provisional bills 
			   
			   Prepayment  Direct debit 
			 Gas 630 528 
			 Electricity 419 374

Energy: Meters

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many homes were awaiting prepayment meter recalibration in  (a) Leeds West constituency,  (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and  (c) the United Kingdom in each of the last 10 years.

Mike O'Brien: The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) collects and publishes data about the recalibration of token prepayment meters. These meters have to be individually recalibrated after each price change. From December 2006 to June 2007, the last period for which data have been published, the number of token prepayment meters in Great Britain awaiting recalibration for those suppliers who apply the price change in advance of recalibration is:
	
		
			   Number 
			 December 2006 409,000 
			 January 2007 256,000 
			 February 2007 196,481 
			 March 2007 153,638 
			 April 2007 128,097 
			 May 2007 107,790 
			 June 2007 (1)119,684 
			 (1) Inaccurate data was reported for May 2007 and therefore correct figure as at end of June 2007 is higher than that reported in May. 
		
	
	Suppliers are working on accelerated replacement programmes to replace token prepayment meters with newer technology key meters which can be recalibrated remotely.

Fuel Poverty

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) people and  (b) households in fuel poverty, broken down by local authority area in each year since 2000; and what Government target on the reduction of fuel poverty applied in each such year.

Mike O'Brien: Since 2000, fuel poverty at a sub-regional level is only available for 2003, for England. The data for fuel poverty levels for 2003 come from the Fuel Poverty Indicator dataset available online at:
	http://www.fuelpovertvindicator.org.uk/
	The following table shows estimated fuel poverty levels for each local authority in England in 2003 but is provided with a warning; that it may not reflect current levels at all:
	
		
			  Local authority  Level 
			  North West  
			 Allerdale 2,700 
			 Barrow in Furness 2,200 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 3,900 
			 Blackpool 4,400 
			 Bolton 7,100 
			 Burnley 2,700 
			 Bury 4,700 
			 Carlisle 2,900 
			 Chester 3,100 
			 Chorley 2,600 
			 Congleton 2,200 
			 Copeland 2,100 
			 Crewe and Nantwich 3,000 
			 Eden 1,500 
			 Ellesmere Port and Neston 2,100 
			 Fylde 2,000 
			 Halton 3,200 
			 Hyndburn 2,400 
			 Knowsley 4,200 
			 Lancaster 3,700 
			 Liverpool 14,200 
			 Macclesfield 3,700 
			 Manchester 11,900 
			 Oldham 5,700 
			 Pendle 2,600 
			 Preston 3,600 
			 Ribble Valley 1,400 
			 Rochdale 5,500 
			 Rossendale 1,800 
			 Salford 6,400 
			 Sefton 8,000 
			 South Lakeland 2,800 
			 South Ribble 2,500 
			 St Helens 4,900 
			 Stockport 7,300 
			 Tameside 5,800 
			 Trafford 5,500 
			 Vale Royal 3,100 
			 Warrington 4,800 
			 West Lancashire 2,800 
			 Wigan 8,300 
			 Wirral 9,200 
			 Wyre 2,900 
			 North West total 187,400 
			   
			  South East  
			 Adur 1,400 
			 Arun 3,500 
			 Ashford 2,500 
			 Aylesbury Vale 3,600 
			 Basingstoke and Deane 3,400 
			 Bracknell Forest 2,200 
			 Brighton and Hove 6,500 
			 Canterbury 3,300 
			 Cherwell 2,900 
			 Chichester 2,600 
			 Chiltern 1,900 
			 Crawley 2,100 
			 Dartford 2,000 
			 Dover 2,900 
			 East Hampshire 2,400 
			 Eastbourne 2,400 
			 Eastleigh 2,500 
			 Elmbridge 2,700 
			 Epsom and Ewell 1,400 
			 Fareham 2,400 
			 Gosport 1,900 
			 Gravesham 2,300 
			 Guildford 2,800 
			 Hart 1,800 
			 Hastings 2,500 
			 Havant 2,800 
			 Horsham 2,700 
			 Isle of Wight 3,800 
			 Lewes 2,200 
			 Maidstone 3,300 
			 Medway 6,200 
			 Mid Sussex 2,800 
			 Milton Keynes 4,700 
			 Mole Valley 1,800 
			 New Forest 4,000 
			 Oxford 2,900 
			 Portsmouth 5,200 
			 Reading 3,200 
			 Reigate and Banstead 2,700 
			 Rother 2,300 
			 Runnymede 1,700 
			 Rushmoor 1,900 
			 Sevenoaks 2,500 
			 Shepway 2,600 
			 Slough 2,300 
			 South Bucks 1,300 
			 South Oxfordshire 2,900 
			 Southampton 5,600 
			 Spelthorne 2,000 
			 Surrey Heath 1,700 
			 Swale 3,100 
			 Tandridge 1,700 
			 Test Valley 2,500 
			 Thanet 3,700 
			 Tonbridge and Mailing 2,400 
			 Tunbridge Wells 2,500 
			 Vale of White Horse 2,500 
			 Waverley 2,600 
			 Wealden 3,300 
			 West Berkshire 3,100 
			 West Oxfordshire 2,100 
			 Winchester 2,400 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 2,900 
			 Woking 1,900 
			 Wokingham 3,000 
			 Worthing 2,500 
			 Wycombe 3,400 
			 South East total 186,500 
			   
			  South West  
			 Bath and North East Somerset 4,100 
			 Bournemouth 4,400 
			 Bristol City of 10,200 
			 Caradon 2,200 
			 Carrick 2,500 
			 Cheltenham 2,800 
			 Christchurch 1,100 
			 Cotswold 2,100 
			 East Devon 3,300 
			 East Dorset 1,900 
			 Exeter 2,900 
			 Forest of Dean 2,200 
			 Gloucester 2,900 
			 Isles of Stilly 100 
			 Kennet 1,800 
			 Kerrier 2,700 
			 Mendip 2,700 
			 Mid Devon 1,900 
			 North Cornwall 2,300 
			 North Devon 2,400 
			 North Dorset 1,500 
			 North Somerset 4,700 
			 North Wiltshire 3,000 
			 Penwith 1,900 
			 Plymouth 6,700 
			 Poole 3,300 
			 Purbeck 1,100 
			 Restormel 2,700 
			 Salisbury 2,800 
			 Sedgemoor 2,900 
			 South Gloucestershire 5,700 
			 South Hams 2,100 
			 South Somerset 4,000 
			 Stroud 2,700 
			 Swindon 4,400 
			 Taunton Deane 2,700 
			 Teignbridge 3,200 
			 Tewkesbury 1,900 
			 Torbay 3,700 
			 Torridge 1,700 
			 West Devon 1,400 
			 West Dorset 2,500 
			 West Somerset 1,000 
			 West Wiltshire 3,000 
			 Weymouth and Portland 1,700 
			 South West total 128,900 
			   
			  West Midlands  
			 Birmingham 26,500 
			 Bridgnorth 1,400 
			 Bromsgrove 2,100 
			 Cannock Chase 2,300 
			 Coventry 7,800 
			 Dudley 7,900 
			 East Staffordshire 2,900 
			 Herefordshire County of 5,000 
			 Lichfield 2,300 
			 Malvern Hills 1,900 
			 Newcastle under Lyme 3,300 
			 North Shropshire 1,600 
			 North Warwickshire 1,600 
			 Nuneaton and Bedworth 3,100 
			 Oswestry 1,100 
			 Redditch 1,900 
			 Rugby 2,200 
			 Sandwell 7,900 
			 Shrewsbury and Atcham 2,500 
			 Solihull 4,600 
			 South Shropshire 1,200 
			 South Staffordshire 2,500 
			 Stafford 3,100 
			 Staffordshire Moorlands 2,500 
			 Stoke on Trent 7,100 
			 Stratford on Avon 2,800 
			 Tamworth 1,800 
			 Telford and Wrekin 4,100 
			 Walsall 6,700 
			 Warwick 3,000 
			 Wolverhampton 6,600 
			 Worcester 2,400 
			 Wychavon 2,800 
			 Wyre Forest 2,500 
			 West Midlands total 138,900 
			   
			  Yorks and Humber  
			 Barnsley 6,300 
			 Bradford 12,400 
			 Calderdale 5,400 
			 Craven 1,500 
			 Doncaster 8,000 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 8,500 
			 Hambleton 2,200 
			 Harrogate 3,800 
			 Kingston upon Hull City of 7,300 
			 Kirklees 10,700 
			 Leeds 19,300 
			 North East Lincolnshire 4,600 
			 North Lincolnshire 4,300 
			 Richmondshire 1,200 
			 Rotherham 6,700 
			 Ryedale 1,500 
			 Scarborough 3,100 
			 Selby 1,900 
			 Sheffield 13,900 
			 Wakefield 8,700 
			 York 4,600 
			 Yorks and Humber total 136,000 
			   
			  East Midlands  
			 Amber Valley 3,300 
			 Ashfield 3,200 
			 Bassetlaw 3,000 
			 Blaby 2,100 
			 Bolsover 2,100 
			 Boston 1,600 
			 Broxtowe 2,900 
			 Charnwood 3,800 
			 Chesterfield 2,800 
			 Corby 1,400 
			 Daventry 1,700 
			 Derby 6,100 
			 Derbyshire Dales 1,900 
			 East Lindsey 3,900 
			 East Northamptonshire 2,000 
			 Erewash 3,000 
			 Gedling 2,900 
			 Harborough 1,800 
			 High Peak 2,300 
			 Hinckley and Bosworth 2,500 
			 Kettering 2,200 
			 Leicester 7,500 
			 Lincoln 2,400 
			 Mansfield 2,800 
			 Melton 1,300 
			 Newark and Sherwood 2,900 
			 North East Derbyshire 2,500 
			 North Kesteven 2,500 
			 North West Leicestershire 2,300 
			 Northampton 5,000 
			 Nottingham 7,800 
			 Oadby and Wigston 1,300 
			 Rushcliffe 2,600 
			 Rutland 900 
			 South Derbyshire 2,100 
			 South Holland 2,200 
			 South Kesteven 3,300 
			 South Northamptonshire 1,900 
			 Wellingborough 1,900 
			 West Lindsey 2,300 
			 East Midlands total 111,900 
			   
			  East England  
			 Babergh 2,200 
			 Basildon 4,000 
			 Bedford 3,600 
			 Braintree 3,200 
			 Breckland 3,300 
			 Brentwood 1,600 
			 Broadland 3,000 
			 Broxbourne 1,800 
			 Cambridge 2,400 
			 Castle Point 2,000 
			 Chelmsford 3,600 
			 Colchester 3,800 
			 Dacorum 3,000 
			 East Cambridgeshire 1,800 
			 East Hertfordshire 2,800 
			 Epping Forest 2,700 
			 Fenland 2,300 
			 Forest Heath 1,500 
			 Great Yarmouth 2,700 
			 Harlow 1,800 
			 Hertsmere 1,900 
			 Huntingdonshire 3,700 
			 Ipswich 3,300 
			 Kings Lynn and West Norfolk 3,900 
			 Luton 4,400 
			 Maldon 1,400 
			 Mid Bedfordshire 2,800 
			 Mid Suffolk 2,300 
			 North Hertfordshire 2,700 
			 North Norfolk 2,900 
			 Norwich 3,500 
			 Peterborough 4,100 
			 Rochford 1,800 
			 South Bedfordshire 2,500 
			 South Cambridgeshire 2,900 
			 South Norfolk 2,900 
			 Southend on Sea 4,400 
			 St. Albans 2,700 
			 St. Edmundsbury 2,500 
			 Stevenage 1,900 
			 Suffolk Coastal 3,100 
			 Tendring 3,900 
			 Three Rivers 1,700 
			 Thurrock 3,400 
			 Uttlesford 1,600 
			 Watford 1,600 
			 Waveney 3,300 
			 Welwyn Hatfield 2,100 
			 East England total 131,900 
			   
			  London  
			 Barking and Dagenham 3,900 
			 Barnet 6,700 
			 Bexley 5,000 
			 Brent 5,300 
			 Bromley 6,700 
			 Camden 4,800 
			 City of London 200 
			 Croydon 7,700 
			 Ealing 6,100 
			 Enfield 6,000 
			 Greenwich 5,300 
			 Hackney 4,600 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3,800 
			 Haringey 5,200 
			 Harrow 4,000 
			 Havering 5,000 
			 Hillingdon 4,800 
			 Hounslow 4,300 
			 Islington 4,200 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 4,100 
			 Kingston upon Thames 3,200 
			 Lambeth 6,100 
			 Lewisham 5,900 
			 Merton 4,200 
			 Newham 5,800 
			 Redbridge 5,200 
			 Richmond upon Thames 4,100 
			 Southwark 5,400 
			 Sutton 3,900 
			 Tower Hamlets 3,800 
			 Waltham Forest 5,300 
			 Wandsworth 5,900 
			 Westminster 5,600 
			 London total 162,200 
			   
			  North East  
			 Alnwick 900 
			 Berwick upon Tweed 800 
			 Blyth Valley 2,200 
			 Castle Morpeth 1,200 
			 Chester le Street 1,500 
			 Darlington 2,800 
			 Derwentside 2,500 
			 Durham 2,200 
			 Easington 2,700 
			 Gateshead 5,600 
			 Hartlepool 2,600 
			 Middlesbrough 3,800 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 7,300 
			 North Tyneside 5,400 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 3,800 
			 Sedgefield 2,500 
			 South Tyneside 4,300 
			 Stockton on Tees 4,700 
			 Sunderland 7,700 
			 Teesdale 800 
			 Tynedale 1,600 
			 Wansbeck 1,800 
			 Wear Valley 1,900 
			 North East total 70,400 
		
	
	The Government's long-term objective, as prefigured by s.1 of the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 is that, as far as reasonably practicable, by 22 November 2016, persons in England should not live in fuel poverty. The interim objective of the fuel poverty strategy in England is that, so far as reasonably practicable, the Government would seek an end to fuel poverty for vulnerable households by 2010. The Government set no annual targets in respect of the 2016 and 2010 targets.

Fuels: Hydrogen

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to encourage the use of hydrogen fuel cell technologies by  (a) the private sector and  (b) the public sector.

Mike O'Brien: The Government are keen to promote low carbon options for future technological development with respect to energy. This includes hydrogen technologies. The priority at present is to encourage demonstrations of the hydrogen fuel cell technology in realistic working environments so that potential users can gain confidence in the technology and developers can find out what improvements are needed to enable full commercialisation to take place. Hydrogen and fuel cell technology is seen as a potential long-term energy option and offers potentially increased energy security and significant reduced carbon emissions.
	The Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Carbon Abatement Technologies Demonstration programme is part of the effort to bring forward the demonstration and deployment of low carbon and energy efficiency technologies
	www.hfccat-demo.org
	The Environmental Transformation Fund which supports fuel cell demonstration projects has allocated 5 million in support of these programmes.
	The Government announced a 100 million investment package on 27 October 2008 at the National Low Carbon Vehicle Event. This is aimed at encouraging the research, development and demonstration of advanced low carbon including electric cars. Hydrogen fuel cell technology is one of a number of potential solutions which can play into this space.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people aged  (a) under and  (b) over 60 years were required to pay a top-up to the Warm Front grant in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Joan Ruddock: The following table illustrates the number of contributions requested of Warm Front customers aged  (a) under and  (b) over 60 years of age since contributions were introduced to the scheme.
	
		
			   Scheme year 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 (to 30 September) 
			  (a) Contributions requested of under 60's 4,321 16,481 28,445 14,167 
			  (b) Contributions requested of over 60's 6,402 21,959 38,201 21,356 
			 All contributions requested 10,723 38,440 66,646 35,523 
			 Total households assisted (1)114,595 253,079 268,900 108,673 
			 (1)Households assisted in this scheme year once client contributions were introduced.

Insulation: Housing

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many and what proportion of homes have  (a) no loft insulation,  (b) between 0 and 199mm of loft insulation,  (c) between 200 and 249mm of loft insulation and  (d) 250mm or more of loft insulation.

Joan Ruddock: The following data has been estimated by combining the 2005 English House Condition Survey data with Ofgem's data for the number of loft insulations carried out under the Energy Efficiency Commitment 2005-08. For Great Britain, the estimated proportions are as follows:
	
		
			  Loft insulation thickness  Percentage of stock in 2008 
			 None 3.60 
			 less than 50 mm 2.85 
			 50 mm up to 99 mm 21.76 
			 100 mm up to 149 mm 34.80 
			 150 mm up to 199 mm 11.95 
			 200 mm or more 25.04 
			 Total 100.00 
		
	
	Around 71 per cent. of homes in Great Britain have between 0 mm and 200 mm of insulation. The English House Conditions Survey and its equivalents in Scotland and Wales do not provide data on the number of homes with insulation depths between 200 mm and 250 mm, or on the number with more than 250 mm.

Insulation: Housing

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the financial turnover of the domestic insulation market.

Joan Ruddock: The insulation sector domestic market size is projected to increase by 32 per cent. by 2012 compared with 2007, reaching 1,109 million in 2012 (at 2007 prices).

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what role the  (a) Nuclear Decommissioning Authority,  (b) Office of Nuclear Development,  (c) Sustainable Development Commission and  (d) Office of Climate Change will have in achieving his Department's objectives; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: All these organisations have a part to play in DECC achieving its objectives for energy and climate change. Discussions are continuing and we will provide details as soon as possible.

Nuclear Reactors: Decommissioning

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what responsibility his Department has for the oversight of nuclear decommissioning; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Department of Energy and Climate Change is responsible for nuclear decommissioning policy.

Office of Nuclear Development

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the annual budget of the Office of Nuclear Development is, broken down by expenditure type.

Mike O'Brien: The annual budget for the OND is 71.6 million. The budget is broken down by expenditure type in the following table.
	
		
			  Expenditure type  Annual budget ( million) 
			 OND Staff and Administration costs 3.4 
			 Global Threat Reduction Programme(1) 36.5 
			 Redfern Inquiry 2.5 
			   
			  Non-proliferation policy :  
			 Nuclear 15.3 
			 Chemicals 4.1 
			   
			 Nuclear Policy 5.7 
			 Nuclear Consultation Policy 4.1 
			 (1) Covering DECC, FCO and MOD GTRP activities

Office of Nuclear Development

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff are employed by the Office of Nuclear Development  (a) on a full-time equivalent basis and  (b) on a headcount basis.

Mike O'Brien: The Office for Nuclear Development employs 65 staff on a full time equivalent basis and has a headcount of 67 staff.

Oil

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the statement of 20 October 2008,  Official Report, column 34, on the European Council, what assessment he has made of the feasibility of securing a constantly rising supply of oil; what assessment he has made of the implications of such supply and consumption for initiatives to tackle climate change; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The UK's oil demand is expected to rise gradually over the next decade, mainly driven by demand for aviation fuel and diesel while petrol consumption is forecast to fall. However, global demand is expected by the International Energy Agency (IEA) to rise more sharply over this period, mainly driven by increasing demand in developing economies.
	The Government do not estimate the timing of peak in global oil production. However, it is our assessment that the global oil reserves are sufficient to prevent total global oil production peaking in the foreseeable futureprovided that sufficient investment in both upstream and downstream is forthcoming in order for production to keep pace with the growing global oil demand.
	In the long-term, however, unchecked growth of oil demand, both in the UK and internationally, is not environmentally or economically sustainable. The Government are therefore working both domestically and internationally to reduce CO2 emissions from the transport sector which will also help to ease demand for oil in the UK and internationally. This includes policies to reduce the carbon content of transport fuel; improve fuel efficiency of vehicles; enable individuals to make more sustainable travel choices; and explore the use of emissions trading for transport. In particular, the renewable transport fuel obligation, EU standards on vehicle emissions and research into electric and hybrid vehicles are likely to encourage the development and deployment of technologies that provide alternatives to petrol and diesel and/or reduce CO2 emissions.
	The Government hope that the forthcoming meeting of Energy Ministers it will host in December will provide an opportunity for consumer and producer nations to discuss these issues.

Public Bodies

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the  (a) annual cost to public funds and  (b) total annual budget is of each of the public bodies (i) for which he has responsibility, (ii) which receive funding from his Department and (iii) which are sponsored by his Department.

Mike O'Brien: Negotiations are taking place to determine which regulators, inspectorates, Executive agencies and NDPBs should become the responsibility of the Department.

Renewable Energy: Distribution

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of proposals to create a high voltage direct current supergrid covering Europe, the Middle East and North Africa as a means of allowing renewable energy from a variety of sources to be transmitted across the region in a secure and cost-effective fashion; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The idea of a 'Plan Solaire' involving a supergrid that would cover North Africa and the Middle East as well as Europe is interesting. We will wish to explore how such a scheme might promote the EU's objectives for security of energy supply and meeting renewable energy targets. We are awaiting detailed proposals before making an assessment. The cost of building the high voltage direct current grid that would be a necessary part of such a project, as well as the security of any such installation over such large distances, would be key issues in any assessment.

Renewable Energy: South West

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what assistance and funding was available to support the development of the renewable energy industry in the South West region at the latest date for which figures are available;
	(2)  how much funding was provided to support renewable energy technology development in the South West region in each of the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: Public sector funding for renewable energy technology innovation in the UK is being delivered through the research councils, the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and the Environmental Transformation Fund (ETF).
	The Department does not hold records of all the expenditure on renewable energy in the South West. However, information is provided as follows on the programmes that DECC is responsible for.
	The main funding that has been made available for renewable energy in the South West is through the support provided to Regen SW, which is the sustainable energy agency for South West England.
	Support has also been made available for bioheat projects through the South West Bioheat Programme (funded by the Government Office for the South West (GOSW) and the Forestry Commission and delivered by Regen SW). This programme aims to stimulate the bioheat industry through increasing the number of systems on the ground, supporting fuel suppliers, and providing recognised training programmes across the region.
	The 'Wave Hub' project off the North Cornwall coast received planning approval on 17 September 2007 and has been offered 4.5 million of support from the Government's Marine Renewables Deployment Fund (MRDF) towards a total cost of 20 million for the project. It will provide a well defined and monitored site with electrical connection to the onshore electricity grid and will greatly simplify and shorten the consents process for wave energy device developers. If it receives the necessary support from industry, it could be commissioned by spring 2010.
	Assistance under the Selective Finance for Investment in England (SFIE) programmenow known as the Grant for Business Investment (GBI)is also available to renewable energy businesses for suitable projects.
	The Department does not hold records of all the expenditure on renewable energy in the South West. However, the following table sets out the funding spent on the development of renewable energy in the South West for the years 2002-03 to 2008-09 on the programmes that DECC is responsible for.
	
		
			   
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  Total 
			 South West Bioheat Programme 51,542 298,152 71,862 421,556 
			 South West Bioenergy Capital Grants Scheme   11,434 11,434 
			 Wave Hub   419,513 964,398 909,016 740,692 213,846 3,247,466 
			 Regen SW 100,000 334,402 199,406 402,843 410,609 455,940 547,786 2,450,986 
			  Source: Government Office for the South West.

Renewables Obligation

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of whether the UK will meet the Renewables Obligation to deliver 15 per cent. of all its energy consumption from renewable energy sources by 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The renewables obligation is the Government's key mechanism for encouraging renewable electricity generation. It will therefore play a key part in meeting the 2020 target but we will need a range of other measures as the EU 2020 target is for renewable energy not just electricity. The European Commission has proposed for the UK to have a 15 per cent target. of all its energy from renewable sources by 2020. This will be confirmed when the renewable energy directive is agreed. The Government have committed to publishing a UK renewable energy strategy once the renewables directive has been agreed next spring on how to meet the UK's share of the EU 2020 renewables target. The consultation document made clear that the EU 2020 target required a step change in our policies to deliver 15 per cent. of all energy from renewable sources by 2020. The consultation on the draft renewable energy strategy therefore set out a wide range of potential measures including new and expanded financial support mechanisms for electricity, heat, transport and small scale generation as well as the approach on tackling key constraints such as planning, grid and supply chain. The consultation document was placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Final decisions on how the renewables obligation and other policies will be implemented to meet the renewable energy target will be set out in the final UK renewable energy strategy next spring.

Solar Power

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether solar photovoltaics will form part of the renewable energy strategy to be published in 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: We have recently completed our consultation on the draft renewable energy strategy and will be considering responses to it carefully. Within the overall framework the Government put in place, the market will determine what technologies are deployed. We are certainly taking the potential role of solar photovoltaics into account.

Solar Power

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the potential for future UK exports of integrated solar photovoltaics; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Department has committed over 41 million to support the photovoltaic industry since 2000 through the Major Demonstration PV programme and field trials. The photovoltaic industry currently benefits from the 86 million Low Carbon Buildings programme, along with other small scale technologies. Electricity generated from solar PV is also eligible for support under the renewables obligation (RO), which is the Government's main mechanism for encouraging new renewable electricity generation. Generators currently receive one renewable obligation certificate (ROC) for every lMWh of renewable electricity. Under reforms to the RO, we are proposing that solar PV receive two ROCs per MWh.
	In addition, in developing the renewable energy strategy the Government have been looking again at financial support mechanisms for renewable electricity to ensure that these technologies can maximise generation at all scales. We recently announced the Government's view that a feed-in tariff for small-scale generation can play an important role alongside the renewables obligation for large-scale projects. We plan to bring an amendment to the Energy Bill to make this happen.
	These measures should help the photovoltaic industry to continue to develop in the UK and to take decisions on international developments.

Solar Power: North Africa

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking in conjunction with EU partners to help promote and facilitate the development of Concentrated Solar Power stations in the desert regions of North Africa; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The UK supports article 5(9) of the draft EU Renewable Energy Directive, which allows renewable energy generated by new installations outside the EU, to count towards member state renewable energy targets if it is consumed within the EU. We also support the intention that the directive should incentivise deployment of renewable technologies, outside the EU as well as inside.
	Concentrated solar power stations based outside the EU might be an effective way of meeting some of our renewable energy needs, although a number of issues, including the cost of building the high voltage direct current grid that would be a necessary part of such a project, as well as the security of any such installation over such large distances, will need to be discussed and addressed.

Warm Front Scheme

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average waiting time is for  (a) heating and  (b) insulation installations under the Warm Front scheme; and how many households were on the waiting list for such installations in each of the last six months.

Joan Ruddock: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Jarrow (Mr. Hepburn) on 8 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1476W.
	Contractual timelines for insulation and heating for the Warm Front scheme are less than 40 and 120 days respectively. Average timelines over the first two quarters of this year (1 April-30 September 2008) were ahead of the contractual requirement at 38 and 63 days respectively. All of the households referred to in the answer given to my hon. Friend were on the waiting list for such installations in each of the last six months.

Warm Front Scheme

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assistance his Department makes available under the Warm Front Scheme to park home residents.

Joan Ruddock: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Lancaster and Wyre (Mr. Wallace) on 15 October 2008,  Official Report, column 1223W.

Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the operation of sections  (a) 1 and  (b) 2 of the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000; what recent representations he has received on the operation of the Act; if he will place in the Library copies of such representations; and whether he plans (i) to amend and (ii) to repeal this Act.

Joan Ruddock: Section 1 of the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act provides the Secretary of State with a power to define fuel poverty. This power has not been exercised because since the fuel poverty strategy was published the Government have relied on the following definition:
	A household is said to be in fuel poverty if it needs to spend more than 10% of its income on fuel to maintain an adequate level of warmth (usually defined as 21 degrees for the main living area, and 18 degrees for other occupied rooms).
	The broad definition of spending on fuel adopted in the measurement of fuel poverty also includes spending on water heating, lights and appliances and cooking.
	Section 2 of the Act contains the substance of the Secretary of State's duties to tackle fuel poverty which includes preparing and publishing a strategy, implementing that strategy and keeping the strategy under review.
	From the strategy the Government have implemented a package of measures, set target dates and published annual progress reports. The strategy and annual reports help to communicate to stakeholders on progress and the challenges faced. In this sense, section 2 is an effective provision in ensuring the Government's approach to tackling fuel poverty is transparentas Parliament intended.
	Friends of the Earth and Help the Aged brought a claim for judicial review against the Secretary of State alleging a continuing failure to perform his duties in the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000. The case was dismissed on 23 October. The Government remain committed to tackling fuel poverty. While recent energy prices have made the challenge more difficult, we keep the position under constant examination and develop our approach as the situation changes.